Constantinople Folder, Byzantium and Istanbul.kmz

Constantinople Folder, Byzantium and Istanbul

Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn)
Constantinople; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 11 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926; Monkmartyr Andrew of Crete, Commemorated on October 17 ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople ; First Council of Constantinople; Second Council of Constantinople ; Third Council of Constantinople ; (Quinisext Council Council in Trullo ); Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople ; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople ; Martyr Julian of Constantinople ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs ; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23 ; St George Limniotes the Confessor of Mt. Olympus, Commemorated on August 24 ; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30 ; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2 St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17 ; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated November 28 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Bassian of Constantinople, Commemorated October 10 ; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus "of the Four Days in the Tomb" the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople ; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; a href="http://oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103131">St Maura of Constantinople; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Anna; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; St Stephen the œNew LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated December 15 ; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated December 16 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated on December 29; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated December 30 ; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated December 30 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated February 12 ; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated February 12 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; New Martyr Theodore; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; Martyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; 1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat, Commemorated March 8; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Memorial Saturday of Meatfare, Commemorated on March 9; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604); Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; 1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Anthusa the Virginmartyr of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas œthe Hair-Shirt WearerÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE; Deportation of Armenian notables in 1915; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St George the Confessor, with his wife and children of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St John of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Juliana of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 22; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles, Commemorated on June 30; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Juliana of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 22 ; Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles, Commemorated on June 30; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople) St Anne, mother of Theotokos
Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople); Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

Byzantium, 376-382, Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, Eastern Roman Empire
Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7;

Byzantium, 667 BC-330 (Greek and Roman Empire)
Byzantium; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17;

Byzantium, 330-1453 Bryzantine Empire, Constantinople
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; St Justinian the Emperor; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable John Calabytes "œthe Hut-Dweller"Â, Commemorated on January 15; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on February 23; Byzantium Emperor Marcian (450-457); Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

Constantinople, 1453-1922, Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, Sunni (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, 1453-1922, Sunni (the Turks) ; Fall of Constantinople (1453); Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Walls of Constantinople - Outer Wall around the shoreline, 8 miles
Walls of Constantinople - Mesoteichion Wall; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11;

Walls of Constantinople - Mesoteichion Wall, Blachernae and Studion
Walls of Constantinople - Mesoteichion Wall; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11;

Seventh Hill

Sixth Hill

Fifth Hill

Walls of Constantinople - Constantine's Wall
Walls of Constantinople - Constantine's Wall;

Fourth Hill

Third Hill

Walls of Constantinople - Severan Wall
Walls of Constantinople - Severan Wall;

Second Hill

Walls of Constantinople - Downtown Byzantium
Walls of Constantinople - Downtown Byzantium; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11;

First Hill

Lycus River

Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road)

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos DurrÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â«s Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela ÃƒÂ„Ã‚Â°psala Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi (Apros, Apris, AprÃƒÂ„Ã‚Â«) Village of Kermeyan Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of MarmaraereÃƒÂ„Ã‚ÂŸlisi Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion KÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¼ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¼kÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§ekmece, 15 km W of Istanbul Turkey Byzantium, later Constantinople Istanbul Turkey

Via Egnatia - Dyrrachium
Via Egnatia - Dyrrachium;

Via Egnatia - Claudiana
Via Egnatia - Claudiana ;

Via Egnatia - Bottom of the K Triangle Claudiana to Thessalonica

Via Egnatia - Thessalonica
Via Egnatia - Thessalonica;

Via Egnatia - Pydna
Via Egnatia - Pydna;

Via Egnatia - Pydna to Thessalonica

Via Egnatia - Amphipolis
Via Egnatia - Amphipolis;

Via Egnatia - Philippi
Via Egnatia - Philippi;

Via Egnatia - Neapolis
Via Egnatia - Neapolis;

Via Egnatia - Traianoupolis
Via Egnatia - Traianoupolis;

Via Egnatia - Kypsela
Via Egnatia - Kypsela ;

Via Egnatia - Kypsela to Perinthus

Via Egnatia - Aenus or Enos
Via Egnatia - Aenus or Enos;

Via Egnatia - Enos to Kypsela

Via Egnatia - Apros
Via Egnatia - Apros;

Via Egnatia - Adrianople
Via Egnatia - Adrianople ;

Via Egnatia - Drizipara
Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome)
Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Via Egnatia - Perinthus or Heraclea Thracia
Via Egnatia - Perinthus or Heraclea;

Via Egnatia - Caenophrurium
Via Egnatia - Caenophrurium;

Via Egnatia - Selymbria
Via Egnatia - Selymbria ;

Via Egnatia - Melantias
Via Egnatia - Melantias;

Via Egnatia - Rhegion
Via Egnatia - Rhegion;

A Patch

Via Egnatia - Byzantium
Via Egnatia - Byzantium;

Constantinople History Folder

Constantinople, 000, 1st Century Folder, St Andrew

Constantinople, 30-54, Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Bishop of Byzantium
Constantinople, 30-54, Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Bishop of Byzantium; the Apostle (died 54) was the second bishop of Byzantium, from AD 38 to AD 54. seemed to be closely connected to Saint Andrew and Saint Paul. quotes Origen as saying that Andrew had preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga and Kiev, hence he became a patron saint of Romania and Russia. to tradition, Saint Andrew founded the See of Byzantium in 38, installing Stachys as bishop (the only bishopric in that neighbourhood before that time had been established at Heraclea). See would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople, having Apostle Andrew as its Patron Saint. was not clear if Stachys was the same person whom Paul calls "dear" in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 16:9), but anyway, he is always associated in traditions with five other apostles (Ampliatus, Urban, Apelles, Aristobulus and Narcissus) that are the very same names mentioned together with him by Paul in Romans 16:8-11. His feast day is on October 31. Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31;

Constantinople, 30-60, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Byzantium
Constantinople, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Byzantium ; the Apostle, also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Saint Peter.[4] He is referred to in the Orthodox tradition as the First-Called. According to Orthodox tradition, the apostolic successor to Saint Andrew is the Patriarch of Constantinople.[5] Contents Life[edit] The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew by Caravaggio (1603–1606) Crucifixion of Saint Andrew, by Juan Correa de Vivar (1540–1545) The name "Andrew" (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, Andreia, "manhood, valour"), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews and other Hellenized people of Judea. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him. Andrew the Apostle was born between 5 and 10 AD[6] in Bethsaida, in Galilee.[7] The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter,[8] and likewise a son of Jonah. "The first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: it is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. We are in Galilee, where the Greek language and culture are quite present."[9] Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them "fishers of men" (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, halieis anthrōpōn).[10] At the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum. In the Gospel of Matthew[11] and in the Gospel of Mark[12] Simon Peter and Andrew were both called together to become disciples of Jesus and "fishers of men". These narratives record that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship. In the parallel incident in the Gospel of Luke[13] Andrew is not named, nor is reference made to Simon having a brother. In this narrative, Jesus initially used a boat, solely described as being Simon's, as a platform for preaching to the multitudes on the shore and then as a means to achieving a huge trawl of fish on a night which had hitherto proved fruitless. The narrative indicates that Simon was not the only fisherman in the boat (they signalled to their partners in the other boat …[14] but it is not until the next chapter[15] that Andrew is named as Simon's brother. However, it is generally understood that Andrew was fishing with Simon on the night in question. Matthew Poole, in his Annotations on the Holy Bible, stressed that 'Luke denies not that Andrew was there'.[16] In contrast, the Gospel of John[17] states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.[18] The Byzantine Church honours him with the name Protokletos, which means "the first called".[9] Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus. Subsequently, in the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus.[a] Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes,[19] and when Philip wanted to tell Jesus about certain Greeks seeking Him, he told Andrew first.[20] Andrew was present at the Last Supper.[21] Andrew was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the "end of the age".[22] Eusebius in his Church History 3.1 quoted Origen as saying that Andrew preached in Scythia. The Chronicle of Nestor adds that he preached along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kiev, and from there he travelled to Novgorod. Hence, he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to Hippolytus of Rome, Andrew preached in Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is mentioned in the apocryphal Acts of Andrew. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium (later Constantinople and Istanbul) in AD 38, installing Stachys as bishop. This diocese would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Andrew, along with Saint Stachys, is recognized as the patron saint of the Patriarchate.[23] Basil of Seleucia also knew of Apostle Andrew's missions in Thrace, Scythia and Achaea.[24] Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, in AD 60.[21] Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours,[25] describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.[b] The iconography of the martyrdom of Andrew — showing him bound to an X-shaped cross — does not appear to have been standardized until the later Middle Ages.[26][c] The Acts of Andrew[edit] Martyrdom of Saint Andrew in the Nuremberg Chronicle Main article: Acts of Andrew The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts (...) belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," in the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924. The Acts, as well as a Gospel of St Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianum connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. Another version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895). Relics[edit] Saint Andrew of Patras cathedral, where Saint Andrew's relics are kept Statue of Andrew in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Camillo Rusconi (1713–1715) Relics alleged to be those of the Apostle Andrew are kept at the Basilica of Saint Andrew in Patras, Greece; in Amalfi Cathedral (the Duomo di Sant'Andrea), Amalfi and in Sarzana Cathedral[1] in Sarzana, Italy; St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland;[18] and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert, Warsaw, Poland. There are also numerous smaller reliquaries throughout the world. Andrew's remains were preserved at Patras. According to one legend, Saint Regulus (Rule), a monk at Patras, was advised in a dream to hide some of the bones. Shortly thereafter, most of the relics were transferred from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[21] Regulus was said to have had a second dream in which an angel advised him to take the hidden relics "to the ends of the earth" for protection. Wherever he was shipwrecked, he was to build a shrine for them. St. Rule set sail, taking with him a kneecap, an upper arm bone, three fingers and a tooth. He sailed west, towards the edge of the known world, and was shipwrecked on the coast of Fife, Scotland. However, the relics were probably brought to Britain in 597 as part of the Augustine Mission, and then in 732 to Fife, by Bishop Acca of Hexham, a well-known collector of religious relics.[18] The skull of Saint Andrew, which had been taken to Constantinople, was returned to Patras by Emperor Basil I, who ruled from 867 to 886.[27] In 1208, following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of Saint Andrew and Saint Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy,[28] by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. A cathedral (Duomo), was built, dedicated to Saint Andrew (as is the town itself), to house a tomb in its crypt where it is maintained that most of the relics of the apostle, including an occipital bone, remain. Thomas Palaeologus was the youngest surviving son of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. Thomas ruled the province of Morea, the medieval name for the Peloponnese. In 1461, when the Ottomans crossed the Strait of Corinth, Palaeologus fled Patras for exile in Italy, bringing with him what was purported to be the skull of Saint Andrew. He gave the head to Pope Pius II, who had it enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and then in Pienza,[2] Italy. In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of Saint Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. Cardinal Augustin Bea along with many other cardinals presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964.[29] The cross of Saint Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy.[30][31] It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles[32] until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray. All the relics, which consist of the small finger, the skull (part of the top of the cranium of Saint Andrew), and the cross on which he was martyred, have been kept in the Church of St. Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every 30 November, his feast day. In 2006, the Catholic Church, again through Cardinal Etchegaray, gave the Greek Orthodox Church another relic of Saint Andrew.[33] Traditions and legends[edit] This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Andrew the Apostle" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Georgia[edit] A 13th-century fresco depicting Saint Andrew, from Kintsvisi Monastery, Georgia The church tradition of Georgia regards Saint Andrew as the first preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently[citation needed] derived from the Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south."[34] The version was adopted by the 10th–11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian Chronicles. The story of Saint Andrew's mission in the Georgian lands endowed the Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defence argument to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling Saint Andrew's story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of Georgians by Saint Nino and explaining the necessity of the "second Christening" by Nino. The thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.[35][36] The Georgian Orthodox Church marks two feast days in honour of Saint Andrew, on 12 May and 13 December. The former date, dedicated to Saint Andrew's arrival in Georgia, is a public holiday in Georgia. Cyprus[edit] Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century. Other pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. As she was telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest, became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his clothes to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.[37] Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpaso in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such, it is visited by many people for votive prayers. Malta[edit] mosaic of St. Andrew Fifth-century mosaic of Saint Andrew at St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome The first reference regards the small chapel at Luqa dedicated to Andrew dates to 1497. This chapel contained three altars, one of them dedicated to Andrew. The painting showing Mary with Saints Andrew and Paul was painted by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli. At one time, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason for choosing Andrew as patron saint. The statue of Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese artist Abraham Gatt. The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew on the main altar of the church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687. Romania[edit] Entrance to Saint Andrew's caves near Ion Corvin, Constanța County Main article: Saint Andrew in Romania The official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor) to the Daco-Romans, whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. Such a tradition was however not widely acknowledged until the 20th century. According to Hippolyte of Antioch, (died c. 250 C.E.) in his On Apostles, Origen in the third book of his Commentaries on the Genesis (254 C.E.), Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History (340 C.E.), and other sources, such as Usaard's Martyrdom written between 845 and 865, and Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend (c. 1260), Saint Andrew preached in Scythia, a possible reference to Scythia Minor, whose territory was integrated into Romania in the late 19th century. According to some modern Romanian scholars, the idea of early Christianisation is unsustainable. They take the idea to be a part of an ideology of protochronism which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history, which was then used for propaganda purposes during the communist era,[38] although this is disputed. East Slavs[edit] Saint Andrew's prophecy of Kiev, depicted in the Radzivill Chronicle Tradition regarding the early Christian history of Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kyiv, where he erected a cross on the site where the Saint Andrew's Church of Kyiv currently stands, and where he prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city.[39] Because of this connection to Kyiv, Saint Andrew is considered to be the patron saint of the two East Slavic nations descended from the Kievan Rus: Ukraine and Russia, the latter country using the Saint Andrew's Cross on its naval ensign. The third East Slavic nation, Belarus, however, reveres Euphrosyne of Polotsk, a local saint, as its patron instead. Scotland[edit] The Saltire (or "Saint Andrew's Cross") is the national flag of Scotland. Several legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought by divine guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern Scottish town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn). The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; the other is the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Saint Columba; his dates, however, are c. 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews. Saint Andrew (carving c.1500) in the National Museum of Scotland According to legendary accounts given in 16th-century historiography, Óengus II in AD 832 led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day Athelstaneford, East Lothian. The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussata upon which Saint Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.[40] However, there is evidence that Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this. Traditional stone fireplace in northern England. The carved Saint Andrew's cross in the left-hand wooden post was to prevent witches from flying down the chimney. In Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole. Andrew's connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter and that Peter's brother would make a higher-ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome, Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to Saint Andrew. A local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By placing the Saint Andrew's cross on one of the fireplace posts or lintels, witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case, it is similar to the use of a witch ball, although the cross will actively prevent witches from entering, whereas the witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap it. Spain[edit] A form of St. Andrew's cross called the Cross of Bourgogne was used as the flag of the Duchy of Burgundy, and after the Duchy was acquired by Spain, by the Spanish Crown, and later as a Spanish naval flag and finally as an army battle flag up until 1843. Today, it is still a part of various Spanish military insignia and forms part of the Coat of Arms of the king of Spain as it did with General Franco. Monument to Andrey Pervozvanniy in Kyiv, Ukraine. The sculptors were Boris Krylov and Oles Sydoruk. In Spain, Saint Andrew is the patron of several locations: San Andrés (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), San Andrés y Sauces (La Palma), Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres), Éibar (Guipúzcoa), Baeza (Jaén), Pobladura de Pelayo García and Pobladura de Yuso (León), Berlangas de Roa (Burgos), Ligüerzana (Palencia), Castillo de Bayuela (Toledo), Almoradí (Alicante), Estella (Navarra), Sant Andreu de Palomar, (Barcelona), Pujalt (Catalonia), Adamuz (Córdoba) and San Andrés [es] in Cameros (La Rioja). Legacy[edit] Saint Andrew the Apostle by Yoan from Gabrovo, 19th century Andrew is the patron saint of several countries and cities including: Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Sarzana,[1] Pienza[2] and Amalfi in Italy, Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque in the Philippines and Patras in Greece. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is considered the founder and the first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Apostle Andrew is also the patron of the Russian Navy. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and those of some of the former colonies of the British Empire) feature Saint Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the former flag of Galicia and the Russian Navy Ensign. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Alabama flag also shows that device. The feast of Andrew is observed on 30 November in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic Church, the feast of Saint Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of Saints. Andrew the Apostle is remembered in the Church of England with a Festival on 30 November.[41] In Islam[edit] The Qur’anic account of the disciples of Jesus does not include their names, numbers, or any detailed accounts of their lives. Muslim exegesis, however, more or less agrees with the New Testament list and says that the disciples included Andrew.[42] Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Constantinople, 30-72, Saint Thomas the Apostle, Byzantium
Constantinople, 30-72, Saint Thomas the Apostle, Byzantium; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was told of it (as is related in the Gospel of John alone); he later confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing the wounds leftover from the crucifixion. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India,[1][5][6][7] and reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31;

Constantinople, 70 1st Century, Tryphaina, Cyzikus, confessed to strengthen weak, tortures, spring for women needing milk
Constantinople, 70 1st Century, Tryphaina, Cyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople) she boldly confessed to strengthen those weak, tortures, firery furnace, tall tree into nails, wild animals, mad bull, spring pure water where her blood shed, for women who did not have milk; Cyzicus Martyr Tryphaina at Cyzicus, Commemorated January 31; Tryphaina was from Kyzikos on the Hellespont and was the daughter of devout parents, Senator Anastasios and his virtuous wife Sokratia. revealed her Christian upbringing and courage during a persecution where, in order to strengthen those who were weak, she boldly confessed her faith in Christ, and in the ultimate triumph of Orthodoxy. As soon as the ruler Caesarius heard these things he became enraged and ordered the Saint's arrest. His order was carried out and the tortures began. Saint Tryphaina was pushed into a fiery furnace, but miraculously, she was saved. Then, she was thrown from a tall tree, onto a bed of iron nails. Afterward, she was given to some wild animals to be devoured by them, but they did not harm her. Finally, she was gored by a mad bull. In this manner, the Saint received the glorious crown of martyrdom in the first century. is said that a spring of pure water welled up at the place where Saint Tryphaίnē's blood was shed. After drinking this water, women who gave birth, but did not have any milk, were able to produce milk to feed their newborn children. Tryphaina is invoked by women who have difficulty in nursing their babies.

Constantinople, 100, 2nd Century Folder, Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia

Constantinople, 200, 3rd-6th Century, Folder, Byzantine Period before Islam, heresies

Constantinople, 200-299, 3rd Century, Folder, Arian Historian Eusebius

Constantinople, 272-303, Dometius of Byzantium, Patriarch, emperor Probus' b, converted
Byzantine Patriarch, 272-303, Dometius of Byzantium ; (? – 284) was bishop of Byzantium about the period 272–284. was a brother of the Roman Emperor Probus. He converted to Christianity, and entered the clergy when he was baptised by the bishop of Byzantium Titus, whom he succeeded. had two sons, Probus and Metrophanes, who also became bishops of the same city. St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4;

Constantinople, 276-336, Arias, Byzantine Arian, intensified the controversy, the essence of Christ
Byzantine Arian, 276-336, Arias ; (250 or 256-336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest best known for the doctrine of Arianism.[1][2] His teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's uniqueness and Christ's subordination under the Father,[3] and his opposition to what would become the dominant Christology, Homoousian Christology, made him a primary topic of the First Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325. Emperors Licinius and Constantine legalized and formalized the Christianity of the time in the Roman Empire, Constantine sought to unify the newly recognized Church and remove theological divisions.[4] The Christian Church was divided over disagreements on Christology, or the nature of the relationship between the first and second persons of the Trinity. Christians, including Athanasius of Alexandria, used Arius and Arianism as epithets to describe those who disagreed with their doctrine of coequal Trinitarianism, a Homoousian Christology representing God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son as "of one essence" ("consubstantial") and coeternal. writings describe Arius' theology as one in which there was a time before the Son of God, when only God the Father existed. concerted opposition, Arian Christian churches persisted throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, especially in various Germanic kingdoms, until suppressed by military conquest or voluntary royal conversion between the fifth and seventh centuries. Son's precise relationship with the Father had been discussed for decades before Arius' advent; Arius intensified the controversy and carried it to a Church-wide audience, where others like Eusebius of Nicomedia proved much more influential in the long run. fact, some later Arians disavowed the name, claiming not to have been familiar with the man or his specific teachings.[5][6] However, because the conflict between Arius and his foes brought the issue to the theological forefront, the doctrine he proclaimed—though had not originated—is generally labeled as "his". St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 280-340, Eusebius, Church Historian, an Arian before Arius
Palestine, 280-340, Eusebius, Church Historian, Arian; of Caesarea (AD 260/265 - 339/340), also known as Eusebius Pamphili, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist. became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima about AD 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the biblical canon and is regarded as one of the most learned Christians of his time.[6] wrote Demonstrations of the Gospel, Preparations for the Gospel and On Discrepancies between the Gospels, studies of the biblical text. Father of Church History [note 1] (not to be confused with the title of Church Father), he produced the Ecclesiastical History, On the Life of Pamphilus, the Chronicle and On the Martyrs. He also produced a biographical work on Constantine the Great, the first Christian Emperor, who was augustus between AD 306 and AD 337. A portrait of St. Eusebius of Caesarea (left) and Ammonius of Alexandria (right), prefacing the letter Eusebius wrote to him in the Rabbula Gospels (6th cent. AD) Eusebius' works are regarded as giving insight into the history of the early church, he was not without prejudice, especially in regard to the Jews, for while "Eusebius indeed blames the Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus, he nevertheless also states that forgiveness can be granted even for this sin and that the Jews can receive salvation."[8] scholars question the accuracy of Eusebius' works. For example, at least one scholar, Lynn Cohick, dissents from the majority view that Eusebius is correct in identifying the Melito of Peri Pascha with the Quartodeciman bishop of Sardis. Cohick claims as support for her position that "Eusebius is a notoriously unreliable historian, and so anything he reports should be critically scrutinized."[9] Life of Constantine, which he wrote as a eulogy shortly after the emperor's death in AD 337, is "often maligned for perceived factual errors, deemed by some so hopelessly flawed that it cannot be the work of Eusebius at all."[10] attribute this perceived flaw in this particular work as an effort at creating an overly idealistic hagiography, calling him a "Constantinian flunky"[11] since, as a trusted adviser to Constantine, it would be politically expedient for him to present Constantine in the best light possible. Byzantine Arian, 276-336, Arias ; Son's precise relationship with the Father had been discussed for decades before Arius' advent; Arius intensified the controversy and carried it to a Church-wide audience, where others like Eusebius of Nicomedia proved much more influential in the long run. fact, some later Arians disavowed the name, claiming not to have been familiar with the man or his specific teachings.[5][6] However, because the conflict between Arius and his foes brought the issue to the theological forefront, the doctrine he proclaimed—though had not originated—is generally labeled as "his". (250 or 256-336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest best known for the doctrine of Arianism.[1][2] His teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's uniqueness and Christ's subordination under the Father,[3] and his opposition to what would become the dominant Christology, Homoousian Christology, made him a primary topic of the First Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325. Emperors Licinius and Constantine legalized and formalized the Christianity of the time in the Roman Empire, Constantine sought to unify the newly recognized Church and remove theological divisions.[4] The Christian Church was divided over disagreements on Christology, or the nature of the relationship between the first and second persons of the Trinity. Christians, including Athanasius of Alexandria, used Arius and Arianism as epithets to describe those who disagreed with their doctrine of coequal Trinitarianism, a Homoousian Christology representing God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son as "of one essence" ("consubstantial") and coeternal. writings describe Arius' theology as one in which there was a time before the Son of God, when only God the Father existed. concerted opposition, Arian Christian churches persisted throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, especially in various Germanic kingdoms, until suppressed by military conquest or voluntary royal conversion between the fifth and seventh centuries. Son's precise relationship with the Father had been discussed for decades before Arius' advent; Arius intensified the controversy and carried it to a Church-wide audience, where others like Eusebius of Nicomedia proved much more influential in the long run. fact, some later Arians disavowed the name, claiming not to have been familiar with the man or his specific teachings.[5][6] However, because the conflict between Arius and his foes brought the issue to the theological forefront, the doctrine he proclaimed—though had not originated—is generally labeled as "his". FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250);

Constantinople, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)
Byzantium, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River) ; Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Constantinople, 290-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki, myrrh-gusher, secret christian appointed to kill c, converted many
Macedonian Saint, 290-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki; (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki (Greek: Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, Hágios Dēmḗtrios tēs Thessaloníkēs[a]), also known as the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer';[b] 3rd century – 306), was a Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with George of Lydda. His feast day is 26 October for Eastern Orthodox Christians, which falls on 8 November [NS] for those following the old calendar. In the Roman Catholic church he is most commonly called "Demetrius of Sermium" and his memorial falls on 8 October. Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Constantinople, 290-307, Lupus, slave of Demetrius of T, soaked with D's blood, took ring, worked miracles, destroyed idols
Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Constantinople, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin
Cappadocia, 290-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Constantinople, 293-330, Helena, Saint Helen, Mother of Constantine the Great
Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Roman Emperor, 293-306, Constantine Chlorus; Byzantine Emperor 306-337, Constantine the Great ; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Constantinople, 293-306, Byzantine Patriarch, Probus, no info
Byzantine Patriarch, 293-306, Probus ; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). His father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). Seeing the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. During a time of terrible persecution of Christians at Rome, Saint Dometius set off to Byzantium with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes. They were instructed in the law of the Lord by Bishop Titus, a man of holy life. Seeing the ardent desire of Dometius to labor for the Lord, Saint Titus ordained him presbyter. After the death of Titus first Dometius (272-303) was elevated to the bishop’s throne, and thereafter his sons, Probus (303-315) and in 316 Saint Metrophanes. emperor Constantine once came to Byzantium, and was delighted by the beauty and comfortable setting of the city. And having seen the holiness of life and sagacity of Saint Metrophanes, the emperor took him back to Rome. Soon Constantine the Great transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he brought Saint Metrophanes there. The First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 to resolve the Arian heresy. Constantine the Great had the holy Fathers of the Council bestow upon Saint Metrophanes the title of Patriarch. Thus, the saint became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Metrophanes was very old, and was not able to be present at the Council, and he sent in his place the chorepiscopos (vicar bishop) Alexander. At the close of the Council the emperor and the holy Fathers visited with the ailing Patriarch. At the request of the emperor, the saint named a worthy successor to himself, Bishop Alexander. He foretold that Paul (at that time a Reader) would succeed to the patriarchal throne after Alexander. He also revealed to Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria that his successor would be the archdeacon Saint Athanasius. Metrophanes reposed in the year 326, at age 117. His relics rest at Constantinople in a church dedicated to him. should be noted that the Canons to the Holy Trinity in the Midnight Office in the Octoechos were not composed by this Metrophanes, but by Bishop Metrophanes of Smyrna, who lived in the middle of the ninth century.

Constantinople, 300-399, 4th Century, Folder, B. Empire, Legal Christianity, Arians, Goths

Byzantium, 305-313, Emperor, Maximinus II Daia, in the East
Roman Emperor, 305-312, Maximinus II Daia; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ;

Byzantium, 305-313, Emperor Maximian Galerius, sack Persian capital, Across the Danube, Edict of Toleration
Byzantium, 305-313, Emperor Maximian Galerius ; (c. 258 -“ May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. Although he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Constantinople, 305-325, Sisinius, Bishop of Cyzikus, slated f martyr, survived being drug behind horse, died 20 yrs later 325
Constantinople, 305-325, Sisinius, Bishop of Cyzikus, slated for martyrdom, survived being drug behind a horse, died 20 yrs later in 325; Cyzicus Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; Holy Confessor Sisinius was Bishop of Cyzicus in what is now Turkey. During the persecution of Diocletian he was slated for martyrdom, having been tied behind a horse in an effort to drag him through the streets until death. Sisinius survived, however, and died in the year 325 AD.

Constantinople, 306-326, Metrophanes, first Byzantine Patriarch in 316, lived to 117, son of e's b
Byzantine Patriarch, 306-326, Metrophanes of Byzantium; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). His father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). Seeing the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. During a time of terrible persecution of Christians at Rome, Saint Dometius set off to Byzantium with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes. They were instructed in the law of the Lord by Bishop Titus, a man of holy life. Seeing the ardent desire of Dometius to labor for the Lord, Saint Titus ordained him presbyter. After the death of Titus first Dometius (272-303) was elevated to the bishop’s throne, and thereafter his sons, Probus (303-315) and in 316 Saint Metrophanes. emperor Constantine once came to Byzantium, and was delighted by the beauty and comfortable setting of the city. And having seen the holiness of life and sagacity of Saint Metrophanes, the emperor took him back to Rome. Soon Constantine the Great transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he brought Saint Metrophanes there. The First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 to resolve the Arian heresy. Constantine the Great had the holy Fathers of the Council bestow upon Saint Metrophanes the title of Patriarch. Thus, the saint became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Metrophanes was very old, and was not able to be present at the Council, and he sent in his place the chorepiscopos (vicar bishop) Alexander. At the close of the Council the emperor and the holy Fathers visited with the ailing Patriarch. At the request of the emperor, the saint named a worthy successor to himself, Bishop Alexander. He foretold that Paul (at that time a Reader) would succeed to the patriarchal throne after Alexander. He also revealed to Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria that his successor would be the archdeacon Saint Athanasius. Metrophanes reposed in the year 326, at age 117. His relics rest at Constantinople in a church dedicated to him. should be noted that the Canons to the Holy Trinity in the Midnight Office in the Octoechos were not composed by this Metrophanes, but by Bishop Metrophanes of Smyrna, who lived in the middle of the ninth century. EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373);

Byzantium, 306-337, Emperor, Constantine, became emperor in roman britain at York, Legal Christianity in 316
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Byzantium, 308-324, Emperor, Licinius, Fake Christian then Last Pagan
Byzantine Emperor, 308-324, Licinius ; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30;

Byzantium, 308-324, Emperess, Flavia Julia Constantia, Constantine's half sister, Arian
Byzantine Emperess, 308-324, Flavia Julia Constantia; Byzantine Emperor, 308-324, Licinius ; 45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, Commemorated July 10 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated on January 13; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates 'œthe General'Â, Commemorated on February 8; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10;

Constantinople, 312, Indiction, Constantine's vision of the Cross, somewhere, Church New Year
Byzantium, 312, Indiction, Constantine's vision of the Cross, somewhere, Church New Year; Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ;

Constantinople, 313 and 323, Edict of Milan, freedom of religion
Edict of Milan, 313 Western Roman Empire and 323 extended to the Eastern Roman Empire; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Constantinople, 313-323, Patriarch, Macarius I, searched for the cross w Helen, Arian
Jerusalem Patriarch, 313-323, Macarius I ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Constantinople, 318-373, Saint, Athanasius of Alexandria, Orthodox
Byzantine Saint, 318-373, Athanasius of Alexandria; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18;

Constantinople, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith; Alexandria; Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Constantinople, 320-337, Saint, Eustathius of Antioch, Orthodox
Byzantium, 320-337, Byzantine Saint, Eustathius of Antioch; St. Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21;; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24;

Constantinople, 320-356, Arias, Byzantine Arian
Byzantine Arian, 320-356, Arias ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397);

Constantinople, 320-388, St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Syria, Divine Light for reading
Syria, 320-388, St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Syria, Divine Light for reading Cyrrhus; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2 ; Marcian of Cyrrhus lived during the fourth century. He went into the desert, where he lived for many years in solitude, unceasing prayer, and strict fasting. He built a small cell, and settled in it. saint never lit candles for reading at night when he fulfilled his Rule of prayer, for the cell was filled with a divine light. several years the monk accepted two disciples, settling them beside him, but he continued to live as a hermit. Patriarch Flavian of Antioch (February 18) and other bishops entreated the monk to abandon his strict solitude for the benefit of Christians, but he would not agree. while not quitting his cell, he taught those coming to him for instruction and he turned many away from heresy and led them to the Orthodox Faith. Before his end, Saint Marcian instructed his disciple Eusebius to bury him secretly far from his cell, in order to shun posthumous glory and avoid contention among those wanting his relics for nearby churches. Saint Marcian died in the year 388.

Byzantium, 323-337, Emperor, Constantine the Great sole ruler in Constantinople
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Constantinople, 325-340, Alexander, Patriarch, 1st E Council, punished Arius w prayer
Byzantine Patriarch, 325-340, Alexander of Constantinople; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople, lived at different times, but each of them happened to clash with the activities of heretics who sought to distort the teachings of the Church. Saint Alexander (325-340) was a vicar bishop during the time of Saint Metrophanes (June 4), the first Patriarch of Constantinople. of the patriarch’s extreme age, Alexander substituted for him at the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicea (325). Upon his death, Saint Metrophanes left instructions in his will to elect his vicar to the throne of Constantinople. these times His Holiness Patriarch Alexander had to contend with the Arians and with pagans. Once, in a dispute with a pagan philosopher the saint said to him, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ I command you to be quiet!” and the pagan suddenly became mute. When he gestured with signs to acknowledge his errors and affirm the correctness of the Christian teaching, then his speech returned to him and he believed in Christ together with many other pagan philosophers. The faithful rejoiced at this, glorifying God Who had given such power to His saint. heretic Arius was punished through the prayer of Saint Alexander. Arius had apparently agreed to enter into communion with the Orthodox. When the Emperor asked him if he believed as the Fathers of Nicea taught, he placed his hand upon his breast (where he had cunningly concealed beneath his clothes a document with his own false creed written upon it) and said, “This is what I believe!” Saint Constantine (May 21), unaware of the deceitful wickedness of Arius, set a day for receiving him into the Church. All night long Saint Alexander prayed, imploring the Lord not to permit this heretic to be received into communion with the Church. the morning, Arius set out triumphantly for the church, surrounded by imperial counselors and soldiers, but divine judgment overtook him. Stopping to take care of a physical necessity, his bowels burst forth and he perished in his own blood and filth, as did Judas (Acts 1:18). Holiness Patriarch Alexander, having toiled much, died in the year 340 at the age of 98. Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25) mentioned him afterwards in an encomium to the people of Constantinople. Service to Saint Alexander was printed in Venice in 1771. According to some ancient manuscripts, Saint Alexander ought to be commemorated on June 2. Today he is remembered together with the holy Patriarchs John the Faster (September 2) and Paul the New (eighth century). St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Constantinople, 325-382, Theophilus, First Gothic Bishop
Byzantine Period, Gothic Bishop, 376-382, Theophilus, First Gothic Bishop; Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4;

Constantinople, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic, Egyptian Saint, preserved in torture, saved many 546, floated w stone
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the desert. During the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Saint Paphnutius be brought to him. The ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture. soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. Cast into prison after the tortures, Saint Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burned alive. a while Saint Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. The saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all. Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the stone. Finally, they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree. Paphnutius is also commemorated on September 25.

Constantinople, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints
Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 326, Uncovering the Cross, Saint Helen andHieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Precious Cross and Nails, Saint Helen; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28; Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Constantinople, 326-363, Hieromartyr Cyriacus t Patriarch, Uncovered t Cross with Saint Helen, a Jew till discovery miracle
Jerusalem, 326-363, Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch, Uncovered the Cross with Saint Helen; Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Precious Cross and Nails, Saint Helen; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, was a Jew who pointed out to the holy Empress Helen the place where the Life-Creating Cross of Christ lay buried (September 14). present at the discovery of the Cross, Cyriacus (before Baptism he was named Jude) sincerely came to believe in Christ the true God, and he became a Christian. because of his pure and virtuous life, was later chosen to be Patriarch of Jerusalem. He suffered martyrdom under the emperor Julian. the cruel persecution under Julian the Apostate, in the year 363, Saint Cyriacus accepted suffering for the Faith. He was killed after prolonged tortures. Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Holy Empress Helen uncovered the Precious Cross and Nails of the Lord at Jerusalem in 326. the beginning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first Roman emperor to recognize Christianity, he and his pious mother Saint Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with the Savior’s death and Resurrection from the foul taint of paganism. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold. Saint Constantine wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the restoring the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen began to destroy all the pagan temples and reconsecrate the places which had been defiled by the pagans. her quest for the Life-Creating Cross, she questioned several Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful. Finally, an elderly Hebrew named Jude told her that the Cross was buried beneath the temple of Venus. Saint Helen ordered that the pagan temple be demolished, and for the site to be excavated. Soon they found Golgotha and the Lord’s Sepulchre. Not far from the spot were three crosses, a board with the inscription written by Pilate (John 19:19), and four nails which had pierced the Lord’s Body. the task was to determine on which of the three crosses the Savior had been crucified. Patriarch Macarius saw a dead person being carried to his grave, then he ordered that the dead man be placed upon each cross in turn. When the corpse was placed on the Cross of Christ, he was immediately restored to life. After seeing the raising of the dead man, everyone was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross had been found. With great joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius lifted the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about.

Constantinople, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian, teacher of repentence, fighter, preacher, anti-arian, hymns
Syria, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and embarked on the path of repentance and salvation. he was unjustly accused of stealing a sheep and was thrown into prison. He heard a voice in a dream calling him to repent and correct his life. After this, he was acquitted of the charges and set free. young man ran off to the mountains to join the hermits. This form of Christian asceticism had been introduced by a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great, the Egyptian desert dweller Eugenius. James of Nisibis (January 13) was a noted ascetic, a preacher of Christianity and denouncer of the Arians. Saint Ephraim became one of his disciples. Under the direction of the holy hierarch, Saint Ephraim attained Christian meekness, humility, submission to God’s will, and the strength to undergo various temptations without complaint. James transformed the wayward youth into a humble and conrite monk. Realizing the great worth of his disciple, he made use of his talents. He trusted him to preach sermons, to instruct children in school, and he took Ephraim with him to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (in the year 325). Saint Ephraim was in obedience to Saint James for fourteen years, until the bishop’s death in 338. the capture of Nisibis by the Persians in 363, Saint Ephraim went to a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics, passing their lives in prayer and psalmody. Their caves were solitary shelters, and they fed themselves with a certain plant. became especially close to the ascetic Julian (October 18), who was of one mind with him. Saint Ephraim combined asceticism with a ceaseless study of the Word of God, taking from it both solace and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him a gift of teaching, and people began to come to him, wanting to hear his counsel, which produced compunction in the soul, since he began with self-accusation. Both verbally and in writing, Saint Ephraim instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which at that time was causing great turmoil. Pagans who heard the preaching of the saint were converted to Christianity. also wrote the first Syriac commentary on the Pentateuch (i.e. “Five Books”) of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns, thereby enriching the Church’s liturgical services. Famous prayers of Saint Ephraim are to the Most Holy Trinity, to the Son of God, and to the Most Holy Theotokos. He composed hymns for the Twelve Great Feasts of the Lord (the Nativity of Christ, the Baptism, the Resurrection), and funeral hymns. Saint Ephraim’s Prayer of Repentance, “O Lord and Master of my life...”, is recited during Great Lent, and it summons Christians to spiritual renewal. ancient times the Church has valued the works of Saint Ephraim. His works were read publicly in certain churches after the Holy Scripture, as Saint Jerome tells us. At present, the Church Typikon prescribes certain of his instructions to be read on the days of Lent. Among the prophets, Saint David is the preeminent psalmodist; among the Fathers of the Church, Saint Ephraim the Syrian is the preeminent man of prayer. His spiritual experience made him a guide for monastics and a help to the pastors of Edessa. Saint Ephraim wrote in Syriac, but his works were very early translated into Greek and Armenian. Translations into Latin and Slavonic were made from the Greek text. many of Saint Ephraim’s works we catch glimpses of the life of the Syrian ascetics, which was centered on prayer and working in various obediences for the common good of the brethren. The outlook of all the Syrian ascetics was the same. The monks believed that the goal of their efforts was communion with God and the acquisition of divine grace. For them, the present life was a time of tears, fasting and toil. “If the Son of God is within you, then His Kingdom is also within you. Thus, the Kingdom of God is within you, a sinner. Enter into yourself, search diligently and without toil you shall find it. Outside of you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there.” spiritual sobriety, the developing of good within man’s soul gives him the possibility to take upon himself a task like blessedness, and a self-constraint like sanctity. The requital is presupposed in the earthly life of man, it is an undertaking of spiritual perfection by degrees. Whoever grows himself wings upon the earth, says Saint Ephraim, is one who soars up into the heights; whoever purifies his mind here below, there glimpses the Glory of God. In whatever measure each one loves God, he is, by God’s love, satiated to fullness according to that measure. Man, cleansing himself and attaining the grace of the Holy Spirit while still here on earth, has a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven. To attain to life eternal, in the teachings of Saint Ephraim, does not mean to pass over from one realm of being into another, but rather to discover “the heavenly,” spiritual condition of being. Eternal life is not bestown on man through God’s one-sided efforts, but rather, it constantly grows like a seed within him by his efforts, toils and struggles. pledge within us of “theosis” (or “deification”) is the Baptism of Christ, and the main force that drives the Christian life is repentance. Saint Ephraim was a great teacher of repentance. The forgiveness of sins in the Mystery of Repentance, according to his teaching, is not an external exoneration, not a forgetting of the sins, but rather their complete undoing, their annihilation. The tears of repentance wash away and burn away the sin. Moreover, they (i.e. the tears) enliven, they transfigure sinful nature, they give the strength “to walk in the way of the the Lord’s commandments,” encouraging hope in God. In the fiery font of repentance, the saint wrote, “you sail yourself across, O sinner, you resurrect yourself from the dead.” Ephraim, accounting himself as the least and worst of all, went to Egypt at the end of his life to see the efforts of the great ascetics. He was accepted there as a welcome guest and received great solace from conversing with them. On his return journey he visited at Caesarea in Cappadocia with Saint Basil the Great (January 1), who wanted to ordain him a priest, but he considered himself unworthy of the priesthood. At the insistence of Saint Basil, he consented only to be ordained as a deacon, in which rank he remained until his death. Later on, Saint Basil invited Saint Ephraim to accept a bishop’s throne, but the saint feigned madness in order to avoid this honor, humbly regarding himself as unworthy of it. his return to his own Edessa wilderness, Saint Ephraim hoped to spend the rest of his life in solitude, but divine Providence again summoned him to serve his neighbor. The inhabitants of Edessa were suffering from a devastating famine. By the influence of his word, the saint persuaded the wealthy to render aid to those in need. From the offerings of believers he built a poor-house for the poor and sick. Saint Ephraim then withdrew to a cave near Edessa, where he remained to the end of his days.

Byzantium, 330-1453, Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire, the Roman Empire of Late Anitquity and Middle Ages; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 335, Commem Resurrection Church F, after rebuilding Jerusalem, a Aelia Capitolinna, C of Tyre attends
Jerusalem, 335, Commemoration Resurrection Church Founding; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen. the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled on by pagans. When the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2). on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina for him (Hadrian Aelius). It was forbidden to call the city by its former name. gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, he constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 119. Before the statues they offered sacrifice to demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts. Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin, the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. He did all this intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory. the beinning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, he and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint of foul pagan cults. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, and Saint Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all the pagan temples and reconsecrated the places desecrated by the pagans. She was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus stood. There they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha, and they also found three crosses and some nails. order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. When the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about. holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other. The holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: "Now in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby" (John 19:41-42). The Church of the Resurrection was ten years in building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year 327. After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New Testament. construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion" in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Therefore, at the assembly of September 13, 335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. Hierarchs of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. The bishops who participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the consecration in Jerusalem. On this day all the city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the commemoration of this remarkable event.

Constantinople, 335-385, Theosebia the Deaconess, one of the 5
Byzantium, 335-385, Theosebia the Deaconess; Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 337-350, Paul I, Patriarch, Confessor, Constantius, replaced by heretic Eusebius, Rome, Constans
Byzantine Patriarch, 337-350, Paul I of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Constantinople, 337-350, Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries of Patriarch Paul, Arians failed to entice them
Constantinople, 337-350, Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries of Patriarch Paul; Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius, Notaries of Constantinople served in a Constantinople cathedral. Marcian was a reader and Martyrius a subdeacon. They both performed in the capacity of notaries, i.e. secretaries, for Patriarch Paul the Confessor (November 6). heretics expelled and secretly executed the righteous Patriarch Paul. His throne was given to the heretic Macedonius. The heretics attempted to entice Saints Marcian and Martyrius over to their side by flattery. They offered them gold and promised to consecrate them as archbishops, but all the efforts of the Arians were in vain. the impious threatened to slander them before the emperor, and sought to intimidate them with torture and death. But the saints steadfastly confessed Orthodoxy, as handed down by the Fathers of the Church. Marcian and Martyrius were sentenced to death. Before death, the martyrs prayed, “Lord God, Who has invisibly created our hearts, and directed all our deeds, accept with peace the souls of Your servants, since we perish for You and are considered as sheep for the slaughter (Ps 32/33:15; 43/44:22). We rejoice that by such a death we shall depart this life for Your Name. Grant us to be partakers of life eternal with You, the Source of life.” After their prayer the martyrs, with quiet rejoicing, bent their necks beneath the sword of the impious (+ ca. 335). holy bodies were reverently buried by Orthodox Christians. Later, by decree of Saint John Chrysostom, the relics of the holy martyrs were transferred to a church built in their honor. Believers here were healed of many infirmities through the prayers of the saints, to the glory of the One Life-Creating Trinity. Byzantine Patriarch, 337-350, Paul I of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Gaul, 337-340, Emperor, Constantine II, Orthodox, Gaul, died invading Italy
Roman Emperor, 337-340, Constantine II (emperor); II (Latin: Flavius Claudius Constantinus; February 316 – 340) was Roman emperor from 337 to 340. Son of Constantine the Great and co-emperor alongside his brothers, his attempt to exert his perceived rights of primogeniture led to his death in a failed invasion of Italy in 340. St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 337-350, Emperor, Constans, Orthodox, Italy, Illyricum, Africa, then Gaul, k by M, Coup
Roman Emperor,;337-350, Constans; Julius Constans (c. 320 – 350) was Roman emperor from 337 to 350. He held the imperial rank of caesar from 333, and was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. After his father's death, he was made augustus alongside his brothers in September 337. Constans was given the administration of the praetorian prefectures of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa.[3] He defeated the Sarmatians in a campaign shortly afterwards.[3] In the civil war that followed, in 340 he defeated his eldest brother and co-emperor Constantine II's invasion of Italy, who was killed in battle with Constans's forces near Aquileia.[3] Constans gained from him the praetorian prefecture of Gaul.[3] Thereafter there were tensions with his remaining younger brother and co-augustus Constantius II (r. 337–361), including over the exiled bishop Athanasius of Alexandria.[3] In the following years he campaigned against the Franks and in 343 visited Roman Britain.[3] In January 350, Magnentius (r. 350–353) the commander of the Jovians and Herculians, a corps in the Roman army, was acclaimed augustus at Augustodunum (Autun) with the support of Marcellinus, the comes rei privatae.[4] Magnentius overthrew and killed Constans.[3][4] Surviving sources, possibly influenced by the propaganda of Magnentius's faction, accuse Constans of misrule and of homosexuality.[3] St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Byzantium, 337-361, Emperor, Constantius II, Greece, Thrace, Asia, Egypt, Orthodox then Arian
Roman Emperor, 324-361, Constantius II, Son of Constantine the Great ; Julius Constantius (Greek: ÎšÏ‰Î½ÏƒÏ„Î¬Î½Ï„Î¹Î¿Ï‚; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361), known as Constantius II, was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civil wars, court intrigues and usurpations. His religious policies inflamed domestic conflicts that would continue after his death. Constantius was a son of Constantine the Great, who elevated him to the imperial rank of caesar on 8 November 324 and after whose death Constantius became augustus together with his brothers, Constantine II and Constans on 9 September 337. He promptly oversaw the massacre of his father-in-law, an uncle and several cousins, consolidating his hold on power. The brothers divided the empire among themselves, with Constantius receiving Greece, Thrace, the Asian provinces and Egypt in the east. For the following decade a costly and inconclusive war against Persia took most of Constantius's time and attention. In the meantime, his brothers Constantine and Constans warred over the western provinces of the empire, leaving the former dead in 340 and the latter as sole ruler of the west. The two remaining brothers maintained an uneasy peace with each other until, in 350, Constans was overthrown and assassinated by the usurper Magnentius. Unwilling to accept Magnentius as co-ruler, Constantius waged a civil war against the usurper, defeating him at the battles of Mursa Major in 351 and Mons Seleucus in 353. Magnentius committed suicide after the latter battle, leaving Constantius as sole ruler of the empire. In 351, Constantius elevated his cousin Constantius Gallus to the subordinate rank of caesar to rule in the east, but had him executed three years later after receiving scathing reports of his violent and corrupt nature. Shortly thereafter, in 355, Constantius promoted his last surviving cousin, Gallus' younger half-brother Julian, to the rank of caesar. As emperor, Constantius promoted Arian Christianity, persecuted pagans by banning sacrifices and closing pagan temples and issued laws discriminating against Jews. His military campaigns against Germanic tribes were successful: he defeated the Alamanni in 354 and campaigned across the Danube against the Quadi and Sarmatians in 357. The war against the Sasanians, which had been in a lull since 350, erupted with renewed intensity in 359 and Constantius traveled to the east in 360 to restore stability after the loss of several border fortresses. However, Julian claimed the rank of augustus in 360, leading to war between the two after Constantius' attempts to persuade Julian to back down failed. No battle was fought, as Constantius became ill and died of fever on 3 November 361 in Mopsuestia, naming Julian as his rightful successor before his death. St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ;

Constantinople, 339-341, Impious heretic Eusebius, Nicomedia, Emperor council illeglly deposed Paul, Forerunner head story
Byzantium, 339-341, Byzantine Saint, Eusebius of Nicomedia; of Nicomedia (died 341) was an Arian priest who baptized Constantine the Great on his deathbed in 337.[1][2] fifth-century legend evolved that Pope Saint Sylvester I was the one to baptize Constantine, but this is dismissed by scholars as a forgery 'to amend the historical memory of the Arian baptism that the emperor received at the end of his life, and instead to attribute an unequivocally orthodox baptism to him.'[3][4] He was a bishop of Berytus (modern-day Beirut) in Phoenicia. He was later made the bishop of Nicomedia, where the Imperial court resided. He lived finally in Constantinople from 338 up to his death. Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.” First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, until the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, and his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), secretly took the holy head and placed it into a vessel and buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official who became a monk with the name of Innocent. He built a church and a cell there. When they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. Innocent recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. occurred the First Finding of the Head. Innocent preserved it with great piety, but fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, before his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. Upon his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, the holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. Along the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. Not knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. But the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. The potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. Before his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, until the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. After he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. God, however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, and indicated where his head was hidden. This became celebrated as the Second Finding. The holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 349-390, Saint, Gregory of Nazianzus, the Theologian, converted C from Arianism
Byzantine Saint, 349-390, Gregory of Nazianzus; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or 'œthe Roman'Â, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 342-412, Theodosius of Antioch, Syria, conquered passions, labored plaiting ropes, waves calmed at his name
Syria, 342-412, Theodosius of Antioch, Syria, prostrations, lying on ground, hairshirt, iron chains, long hair, continuious fasting and prayer, much labor, conquered passions, labored much, plaiting ropes, waves calmed at his name, Marathon; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; Theodosius of Antioch in his early years left the rich home of his illustrious parents and entered upon the straight and arduous path of asceticism. settled into a small cell on the shore of the Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos. saint weakened his body with prostrations and by lying upon the bare ground. also wore a hairshirt and heavy iron chains. His hair grew so long that it covered his feet. continuous feats of fasting and prayer he conquered his fleshly and spiritual passions, he quieted his temper, and drove away unclean thoughts. labored much, tilling his garden and occupying himself with plaiting ropes. his native land Saint Theodosius founded a monastery (Skupela). He imparted to the monks a love for physical toil and for spiritual deeds. Saint Theodosius had a special concern for strangers. sublime life of the saint was known even beyond the confines of the monastery. Both Christians and pagans knew him. Seafarers in time of peril called out for help to “the God of Theodosius.” happened that at the mere mention of Saint Theodosius, the waves of the sea were calmed. feared and respected him, and sought his prayers. the praise of people, the saint settled near the village of Maraton, founding here the Maratonia monastery. There the great ascetic peacefully finished the days of his God-pleasing life (412).

Constantinople, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit, calmly amiably conversing w beasts, prayer told huge lion to come
Galilee, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit; Martyr Zosimas the Desert Dweller lived during the fourth century. Once, while hunting, Dometian, the governor of Sicily, saw the Elder calmly and amiably conversing with the beasts around him. the hunters, the beasts fled. They then interrogated the Elder, asking who he was and why he lived in the wilderness. The Elder answered that he was a Christian called Zosimas, and that he could not live in the city with the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he lived alone among the wild animals. Dometian said threateningly: “If you worship the Nazarene, I shall subject you to fierce tortures at Nazareth, and you will renounce Christ.” asked what kind of magic he used to tame wild beasts, Saint Zosimas replied, “I am a Christian.” At Nazareth the tortures began. They tied the Elder head downwards, with a large stone around his neck, and they began to lacerate his body with iron hooks. torturers taunted the sufferer: “If the beasts do listen to you, tell one of them to come here, and then we will believe in your God.” The holy martyr turned to God in prayer, and suddenly a huge lion came forth. fled in terror, and the lion went up to the Elder, and began to lift the stone around the martyr’s neck with its paw in order to ease the suffering of the saint. The governor implored the martyr to keep the lion calm, and he gave orders to untie the saint, and to bring him to the emperor, but Saint Zosimas was already dead, having given up his pure soul to God. Nazareth; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1; to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” This scene is depicted in a Vatican manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1). The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (on Iris River in near Pontus and Neocaserea) of the 5
Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Constantinople, 350-379, Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great, of the 5
Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 351, Vision of the Cross, Miraculous Portent
Jerusalem Patriarch, 350-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7 ; Precious Cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem on the morning of May 7, 351 during the reign of the emperor Constantius, the son of Saint Constantine (May 21). that time the heresy of Arianism, which taught that Christ was merely a creature and not God, was causing great turmoil and division throughout the Empire. Even after the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, many people were drawn to this false teaching, and the Orthodox found themselves in the minority in many places. the ruler of the eastern part of the Empire, was a fervent supporter of Arianism. His brothers Constantine II and Constans, who were pious Orthodox Christians, ruled in the west. They were both killed in separate battles around 350, leaving Constantius as sole ruler. Also in 350, Saint Cyril (March 18) became Patriarch of Jerusalem and began his zealous struggle against Arianism. May of 351 a luminous Cross appeared over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, a distance of about five and a half miles. The Cross was wide as it was long, and shone more brightly than the sun. Many people left their homes and workplaces to gather in the church and glorify Christ. The historian Sozomen says that this wondrous sign led to the conversion of multitudes of pagans and Jews to Christianity. letter from Saint Cyril to the emperor describing this phenomenon, and admonishing him to become Orthodox, has been preserved. The apparition of the Cross remained over the city for a whole week. vision of the Cross over Jerusalem strengthened the Orthodox faithful and contributed to the return of many Arians to the Church. It is also a reminder of the awesome Second Coming of Christ, when “the sign of the Son of man shall appear in heavenâ€ (Matthew 24:30).

Constantinople, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia, Father of Fathers, 2nd E Council on Nicene Creed, of the 5
Armenia, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia, Father of Fathers, anti arian, bishop 372, deposed twice, restored 378, b basil died 379, completed his work on first 6 days, Hexaemeron, Antioc council on MOG, 2nd E Council on Nicene Creed, of the 5; Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of Saint Basil the Great (January 1). birth and upbringing came at a time when the Arian disputes were at their height. Having received an excellent education, he was at one time a teacher of rhetoric. the year 372, he was consecrated by Saint Basil the Great as bishop of the city of Nyssa in Cappadocia. Gregory was an ardent advocate for Orthodoxy, and he fought against the Arian heresy with his brother Saint Basil. was persecuted by the Arians, by whom he was falsely accused of improper use of church property, and thereby deprived of his See and sent to Ancyra. the following year Saint Gregory was again deposed in absentia by a council of Arian bishops, but he continued to encourage his flock in Orthodoxy, wandering about from place to place. the death of the emperor Valens (378), Saint Gregory was restored to his cathedra and was joyously received by his flock. His brother Saint Basil the Great died in 379. with difficulty did Saint Gregory survive the loss of his brother and guide. He delivered a funeral oration for him, and completed Saint Basil’s study of the six days of Creation, the Hexaemeron. same year Saint Gregory participated in the Council of Antioch against heretics who refused to recognize the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God. Others at the opposite extreme, who worshipped the Mother of God as being God Herself, were also denounced by the Council. visited the churches of Arabia and Palestine, which were infected with the Arian heresy, to assert the Orthodox teaching about the Most Holy Theotokos. On his return journey Saint Gregory visited Jerusalem and the Holy Places. the year 381 Saint Gregory was one of the chief figures of the Second Ecumenical Council, convened at Constantinople against the heresy of Macedonius, who incorrectly taught about the Holy Spirit. At this Council, on the initiative of Saint Gregory, the Nicean Symbol of Faith (the Creed) was completed. with the other bishops Saint Gregory affirmed Saint Gregory the Theologian as Archpastor of Constantinople. the year 383, Saint Gregory of Nyssa participated in a Council at Constantinople, where he preached a sermon on the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 386, he was again at Constantinople, and he was asked to speak the funeral oration in memory of the empress Placilla. Again in 394 Saint Gregory was present in Constantinople at a local Council, convened to resolve church matters in Arabia. Gregory of Nyssa was a fiery defender of Orthodox dogmas and a zealous teacher of his flock, a kind and compassionate father to his spiritual children, and their intercessor before the courts. He was distinguished by his magnanimity, patience and love of peace. reached old age, Saint Gregory of Nyssa died soon after the Council of Constantinople. Together with his great contemporaries, Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa had a significant influence on the Church life of his time. His sister, Saint Macrina, wrote to him: “You are renowned both in the cities, and gatherings of people, and throughout entire districts. Churches ask you for help.” Saint Gregory is known in history as one of the most profound Christian thinkers of the fourth century. Endowed with philosophical talent, he saw philosophy as a means for a deeper penetration into the authentic meaning of divine revelation. Gregory left behind many remarkable works of dogmatic character, as well as sermons and discourses. He has been called “the Father of Fathers.” Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 360-391, St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, of the 5
Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10;

Constantinople, 360-381, Theosebia, the deaconess, virgin, the younger sister, of the 5
Cappadocia, 360-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus); also known as Theosebia the Deaconess, was a 4th-century Christian leader, who is honored as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a saint she is referred to as Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess. Her life and identification is ambiguous: her years of birth and death are uncertain (probably subsequent to 381). However, she is thought to have played an important role in the church in Nyssa, where she was called diakonissa, the deaconess or wife of a deacon. Nazianzen wrote a letter of condolence[1] on her death to Gregory of Nyssa in which Gregory Nazianzen mentioned "your sister Theosebia" and "true yoke-fellow of a priest". comes the ambiguity of her identification. Some historians supposed Theosebia was the wife of Gregory of Nyssa, others suppose she was one of his sisters like Macrina the Younger.[2] If so, then Theosebia was the sister of Basil the Great as well. of Nyssa—unlike the other Cappadocian Fathers—was married, according to his own testimony in his work On Virginity[3] that he could not benefit from the subject of his own work. combined with Nazianzen's statement that Theosebia was buried by the other Gregory in the aforementioned letter, suggest that she was indeed either Gregory of Nyssa's wife or sister, whose funeral he would have been obliged to oversee. St Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality is in Oxford.[4][5] Donald Allchin was director of the centre from 1987 to 1994.[6] Cappadocian Gregory of Nazianzus wrote to Gregory of Nyssa about Theosebia, “the pride of the church, the ornament of Christ, the finest of our generation, the free speech of women, Theosebia, the most illustrious among the brethren, outstanding in beauty of soul. Theosebia, truly a priestly personage, the colleague of a priest, equally honored and worthy of the great sacraments."[7] Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism. her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Saint Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy. Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 360-381, Meletius, anti-arrian, deposed 3x, virtue, Basil t G and Chrysostom, writer, holy fire
Byzantine Saint, 360-381, Meletius of Antioch; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 357), and afterwards he was summoned to Antioch by the emperor Constantius to help combat the Arian heresy, and was appointed to that See. Meletius struggled zealously against the Arian error, but through the intrigues of the heretics he was thrice deposed from his cathedra by the Emperor Constantius who had become surrounded by the Arians and had accepted their position. In all this Saint Meletius was distinguished by an extraordinary gentleness, and he constantly led his flock by the example of his own virtue and kindly disposition, supposing that the seeds of the true teaching sprout more readily on such soil. Meletius was the one who ordained the future hierarch Saint Basil the Great as deacon. Saint Meletius also baptized and encouraged another of the greatest luminaries of Orthodoxy, Saint John Chrysostom, who later eulogized his former archpastor. Constantius, the throne was occupied by Julian the Apostate, and the saint again was expelled, having to hide himself in secret places for his safety. Returning under the emperor Jovian in the year 363, Saint Meletius wrote his theological treatise, “Exposition of the Faith,” which facilitated the conversion of many of the Arians to Orthodoxy. the year 381, under the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), the Second Ecumenical Council was convened. In the year 380 the saint had set off on his way to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, and came to preside over it. the start of the Council, Saint Meletius raised his hand displaying three fingers, and then withdrawing two fingers and leaving one extended he blessed the people, proclaiming: “We understand three hypostases, and we speak about a single nature.” With this declaration, a fire surrounded the saint like lightning. During the Council Saint Meletius fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Gregory of Nyssa honored the memory of the deceased with a eulogy. Meletius has left treatises on the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, and a letter to the emperor Jovian concerning the Holy Trinity. The relics of Saint Meletius were transferred from Constantinople to Antioch.

Constantinople, 360-397, AMBROSE OF MILAN, Northern Italy Governor, Milan bishop, theologian, against Arianism, c Augustine
Northern Italy, 360-397, AMBROSE OF MILAN, Northern Italy Governor, Milan bishop, theologian, against Arianism, c Augustine, Antiphonal Chant, doctor of unified Church, from Gaul, bees mouth honey on tongue, Bishop as a catachumen, fame, Persians, converted queen Fritigelda of the Markomanni; of Milan (c. 340 - 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose,[a] was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperors Theodosius I and Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. Milan; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was born in the year 340 into the family of the Roman prefect of Gaul (now France). Even in the saint’s childhood there appeared presentiments of his great future. Once, bees covered the face of the sleeping infant. They flew in and out of his mouth, leaving honey on his tongue. Soon they flew away so high that they could no longer be seen. Ambrose’s father said that the child would become something great when he reached manhood. the death of the father of the family, Ambrose journeyed to Rome, where the future saint and his brother Satyrius received an excellent education. About the year 370, upon completion of his course of study, Ambrose was appointed to the position of governor (consular prefect) of the districts of Liguria and Aemilia, though he continued to live at Mediolanum (now Milan). the year 374 Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Mediolanum, died. This led to complications between the Orthodox and the Arians, since each side wanted to have its own bishop. Ambrose, as the chief city official, went to the church to resolve the dispute. he was speaking to the crowd, suddenly a child cried out, “Ambrose for bishop!” The people took up this chant. Ambrose, who at this time was still a catechumen, considered himself unworthy, and tried to refuse. He disparaged himself, and even tried to flee from Mediolanum. The matter went ultimately before the emperor Valentinian the Elder (364-375), whose orders Ambrose dared not disobey. He accepted holy Baptism from an Orthodox priest and, passing through all the ranks of the Church clergy in just seven days, on December 7, 374 he was consecrated Bishop of Mediolanum. dispersed all his possessions, money and property for the adornment of churches, the upkeep of orphans and the poor, and he devoted himself to a strict ascetic life. combined strict temperance, intense vigilance and work within the fulfilling of his duties as archpastor. Saint Ambrose, defending the unity of the Church, energetically opposed the spread of heresy. Thus, in the year 379 he traveled off to establish an Orthodox bishop at Sirmium, and in 385-386 he refused to hand over the basilica of Mediolanum to the Arians. preaching of Saint Ambrose in defense of Orthodoxy was deeply influential. Another noted Father of the Western Church, Saint Augustine (June 15), bore witness to this, having accepted holy Baptism in the year 387 by the grace of the preaching of the bishop of Mediolanum. Ambrose also actively participated in civil matters. Thus, the emperor Gracian (375-383), having received from him the “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” (De Fide), removed, by decree of the saint, the altar of Victory from the halls of the Senate at Rome, on which oaths were wont to be taken. a pastoral boldness, Saint Ambrose placed a severe penance on the emperor Theodosius I (379-395) for the massacre of innocent inhabitants of Thessalonica. For him there was no difference between emperor and commoner. he released Theodosius from the penance, the saint would not permit the emperor to commune at the altar, but compelled him to do public penance. fame of Bishop Ambrose and his actions attracted to him many followers from other lands. From far away Persia learned men came to him to ask him questions and absorb his wisdom. Fritigelda (Frigitil), queen of the military Germanic tribe of the Markomanni, which often had attacked Mediolanum, asked the saint to instruct her in the Christian Faith. The saint in his letter to her persuasively stated the dogmas of the Church. And having become a believer, the queen converted her own husband to Christianity and persuaded him to conclude a treaty of peace with the Roman Empire. saint combined strictness with an uncommon kindliness. Granted a gift of wonderworking, he healed many from sickness. One time at Florence, while staying at the house of Decentus, he resurrected a dead boy. repose of Saint Ambrose, who departed to the Lord on the night of Holy Pascha, was accompanied by many miracles. He even appeared in a vision to the children being baptized that night. The saint was buried in the Ambrosian basilica in Mediolanum, beneath the altar, between the Martyrs Protasius and Gervasius (October 14). zealous preacher and valiant defender of the Christian Faith, Saint Ambrose received particular renown as a Church writer. In dogmatic compositions he set forth the Orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity, the Sacraments, and Repentance: “Five Books on the Faith” (De Fide); “Explication of the Symbol of the Faith” (Explanatio Symboli); “On the Incarnation” (De Incarnationis); “Three Books on the Holy Spirit” (De Spiritu Sancto); “On the Sacraments” (De Sacramento); “Two Books on Repentance” (De Paenitentia). In writings about Christian morality, he explained the excellence of Christian moral teaching compared to pagan moral teaching. well-known work of Saint Ambrose, “On the Duties of the Clergy” (De Officiis Ministrorum) evidences his deep awareness of pastoral duty. He stresses that those who serve in the Church should have not only the proper knowledge of Church services, but also the proper knowledge of moral precepts. Ambrose was also a reformer of Church singing. He introduced antiphonal singing (along the Eastern or Syrian form) into the Western Church, which became known as “Ambrosian Chant.” He also composed twelve hymns which were used during his lifetime. The hymn, “Thee, O God, we praise” (Te Deum), attributed to Saint Ambrose, entered into the divine services of the Orthodox Church (Molieben). AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; was governor of Northern Italy, with capital at Milan. When the see of Milan fell vacant, it seemed likely that rioting would result, since the city was evenly divided between Arians and Athanasians. Note: Athanasians affirm that the Logos or Word (John 1:1) is fully God in the same sense that the Father is, while Arians affirm that the Logos is a creature, the first being created by the Father. East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Prebyterians, Reformed, Baptists, Methodists, etc. are Athanasians. The Watchtower Society (J's Witnesses), the Philippine group called the Iglesia ni Christi (spelling?), and some other groups are Arians. The Unitarians started out as Arians, and some of them still hold this position.) went to the meeting where the election was to take place, and appealed to the crowd for order and good will on both sides. He ended up being elected bishop with the support of both sides. He gave away his wealth, and lived in simplicity. By his preaching, he converted the diocese to the Athanasian position, except for the Goths and some members of the Imperial Household. The Arian emperor Constantius (son of Constantine the Great) had sent missionaries (Arians, of course) to convert the Gothic tribes. The Goths were the chief source of mercenary troops for the Empire. Thus for many years the Army was Arian although a majority of civilians were Athanasian.) one occasion, the Empress ordered him to turn over a church to the Arians so that her Gothic soldiers could worship in it. Ambrose refused, and he and his people occupied the church. Ambrose composed Latin hymns in the rhythm of "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow," and taught them to the people, who sang them in the church as the soldiers surrounded it. The Goths were unwilling to attack a hymn-singing congregation, and Ambrose won that dispute. subsequently won another dispute, when the Emperor, enraged by a crowd who defied him, ordered them all killed by his soldiers. he next appeared at church, Ambrose met him at the door and said, "You may not come in. There is blood on your hands." The emperor finally agreed to do public penance and to promise that thereafter he would never carry out a sentence of death without a forty-day delay after pronouncing it. creditable, to modern Christians, is Ambrose's dispute with the emperor when certain Christians burned a Jewish synagogue, and the emperor commanded them to make restitution. Ambrose maintained that no Christian could be compelled to provide money for the building of a non-Christian house of worship, no matter what the circumstances. was largely responsible for the conversion of St. Augustine. The hymn Te Deum Laudamus ("We praise Thee, O God") was long thought to have been composed by Ambrose in thanksgiving for that conversion. The current opinion is that Ambrose did not write it, but that he may well have written the Creed known as the Athanasian Creed. is perhaps the first writer of Christian hymns with rhyme and (accentual) meter, and northern Italy still uses his style of plainchant, known as Ambrosian chant, rather than the more widespread Gregorian chant. the negative side, many Christians will regret his contribution to increased preoccupation with the relics of martyrs. died 4 April 397, but (because this date so often falls in Holy Week or Easter Week) he is commonly remembered on the anniversary of his consecration as bishop, 7 December. is regarded as one of the Eight Great Doctors (=Teachers) of the Undivided Church. The list includes four Latin (Western) Doctors (Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Pope Gregory the Great), and four Greek (Eastern) Doctors (Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus -- not to be confused with Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of Basil). by James Kiefer Northern Italy, 360-397, Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, against Arianism, antiphonal chant, Augistine of H; (born Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 340 -“ 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose[a], was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperor Theodosius I and the usurper Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. 1 Life 1.1 Early life 1.2 Bishop of Milan 1.3 Arianism 1.4 Imperial relations 1.5 Attitude towards Jews 1.6 Attitude towards pagans 1.7 Later years and death 1.8 Character 2 Theology 2.1 Giving to the poor 2.2 Mariology 3 Writings 4 Church music 5 Augustine 5.1 Reading 6 Bibliography 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Citations 8.3 Works cited 9 External links life[edit] was born into a Roman Christian family about 340 and was raised in Gallia Belgica, the capital of which was Augusta Treverorum.[3] His father is sometimes identified with Aurelius Ambrosius,[4][5] a praetorian prefect of Gaul;[6] but some scholars identify his father as an official named Uranius who received an imperial constitution dated 3 February 339 (addressed in a brief extract from one of the three emperors ruling in 339, Constantine II, Constantius II, or Constans, in the Codex Theodosianus, book XI.5).[7][8][9] mother was a woman of intellect and piety[10] and a member of the Roman family Aurelii Symmachi,[11] and thus Ambrose was cousin of the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. He was the youngest of three children, who included Marcellina and Satyrus (who is the subject of Ambrose's De excessu fratris Satyri), also venerated as saints.[12] There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. the year 354 Ambrosius, the father, died, whereupon the family moved to Rome.[13] There he studied literature, law, and rhetoric. He then followed in his father's footsteps and entered public service. Praetorian Prefect Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus first gave him a place in the council and then in about 372 made him governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.[6] In 286 Diocletian had moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan). was the Governor of Aemilia-Liguria in northern Italy until 374, when he became the Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a very popular political figure, and since he had been the Governor in the effective capital in the Roman West, he was a recognizable figure in the court of Valentinian I. of Milan[edit] the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Nicene Church and Arians.[14][15] In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call, "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly.[15] was known to be Nicene Christian in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology.[6] Upon his appointment, Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, Ambrose's host gave him up. Within a week, he was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who had become a nun). This raised his popularity even further, giving him considerable political leverage over even the emperor. Upon the unexpected appointment of Ambrose to the episcopate, his brother Satyrus resigned a prefecture in order to move to Milan, where he took over managing the diocese's temporal affairs.[3] 383 Gratian was assassinated at Lyon, France, and Paulinus of Nola, who had served as governor of Campania, went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose.[16] of Saint Ambrose with a scourge in Museo del Duomo, Milan. Unknown Lombard author, early 17 century. studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome.[10] Using to his advantage his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, he studied the Old Testament and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters.[17] He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were contrary to the Nicene creed and thus to the officially defined orthodoxy. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian supported orthodoxy, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed.[18] Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions,[10] especially among the higher clergy. this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken and Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from their episcopal offices.[10] the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385[18] or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the Basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), be allocated to the Arians.[18] Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council.[6][page needed] He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawing the ministers of Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still refused, certain deans or officers of the court were sent to take possession of the Portian basilica, by hanging up in it imperial escutcheons[18] to prepare for the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter.[19] spite of Imperial opposition, Ambrose declared, "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."[19] 386 Justina and Valentinian received the Arian bishop Auxentius the younger, and Ambrose was again ordered to hand over a church in Milan for Arian usage. Ambrose and his congregation barricaded themselves inside the church, and the imperial order was rescinded.[20 relations[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral by Anthony van Dyck. National Gallery, London. imperial court was displeased with the religious principles of Ambrose, though his aid was soon solicited by the Emperor. When Magnus Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentinian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking, and the embassy was successful.[19] second later embassy was unsuccessful. The enemy entered Italy and Milan was taken. Justina and her son fled but Ambrose remained at his post and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief.[19] I, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. Theodosius was excommunicated by Ambrose for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessalonica in 390,[19] after the murder of the Roman governor there by rioters.[6][page needed] - Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt,[19] and he readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance. This shows the strong position of a bishop in the western part of the empire, even when facing a strong emperor. The controversy of John Chrysostom with a much weaker emperor a few years later in Constantinople led to a crushing defeat of the bishop. 392, after the death of Valentinian II and the fall of Eugenius, Ambrose supplicated the emperor for the pardon of those who had supported Eugenius after Theodosius was eventually victorious.[19] of St. Ambrose Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome towards Jews[edit] his treatise on Abraham, Ambrose warns against intermarriage with pagans, Jews, or heretics.[21] 388, Emperor Theodosius the Great was informed that a crowd of Christians, led by their bishop, had destroyed the synagogue at Callinicum on the Euphrates. He ordered the synagogue rebuilt at the expense of the bishop,[22] but Ambrose persuaded Theodosius to retreat from this position.[23] He wrote to the Emperor, pointing out that he was thereby "exposing the bishop to the danger of either acting against the truth or of death"; in the letter "the reasons given for the imperial rescript are met, especially by the plea that the Jews had burnt many churches".[24] Ambrose, referring to a prior incident where Magnus Maximus issued an edict censuring Christians in Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, warned Theodosius that the people in turn exclaimed "the emperor has become a Jew", implying that if Theodosius attempted to apply the law to protect his Jewish subjects he'd be viewed similarly.[25] In the course of the letter Ambrose speaks of the clemency that the emperor had shown with regard to the many houses of wealthy people and churches that had been destroyed by unruly mobs, with many then still not restored and then adds: "There is, then, no adequate cause for such a commotion, that the people should be so severely punished for the burning of a building, and much less since it is the burning of a synagogue, a home of unbelief, a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God Himself has condemned. For thus we read, where the Lord our God speaks by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: 'And I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will cast you forth from My sight, as I cast forth your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim. And do not thou pray for that people, and do not thou ask mercy for them, and do not come near Me on their behalf, for I will not hear thee. Or seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah?'[Jeremiah 7:14] God forbids intercession to be made for those."[24][26] Yet, Ambrose did not oppose punishing those who were directly responsible for destroying the synagogue. his exposition of Psalm 1, Ambrose says: "Virtues without faith are leaves, flourishing in appearance, but unproductive. How many pagans have mercy and sobriety but no fruit, because they do not attain their purpose! The leaves speedily fall at the wind's breath. Some Jews exhibit purity of life and much diligence and love of study, but bear no fruit and live like leaves."[27] towards pagans[edit] article: Anti-paganism influenced by Saint Ambrose his influence, emperors Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I carried on a persecution of paganism;[28][b][30][31] Theodosius issued the 391 "Theodosian decrees," which with increasing intensity outlawed pagan practices.[29][32]The Altar of Victory was removed by Gratian. Ambrose prevailed upon Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius to reject requests to restore the altar. years and death[edit] silver urn with the body of Ambrose (with white vestments) in the crypt of Sant'Ambrose, with the skeletons of Gervase and Protase. April 393 Arbogast, magister militum of the West and his puppet Emperor Eugenius, marched into Italy to consolidate their position in regard to Theodosius I and his son, Honorius, whom Theodosius had appointed Augustus to govern the western portion of the empire. Arbogast and Eugenius courted Ambrose's support by very obliging letters; but before they arrived at Milan, he had retired to Bologna, where he assisted at the translation of the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. From there he went to Florence, where he remained until Eugenius withdrew from Milan to meet Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in early September 394.[33] after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman Empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (4 April 397) Ambrose also died. He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician.[19] Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of Saint Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated“ along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of Saints Gervase and Protase. Drawing based on a statue of Saint Ambrose circumstances in the history of Ambrose are characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. He used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people.[19] was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The saints, although they would have had to have been hundreds of years old, looked as if they had just died. The applause of the people was mingled with the derision of the court party.[19] joins Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great as one of the Latin Doctors of the Church. Theologians compare him with Hilary, who they claim fell short of Ambrose's administrative excellence but demonstrated greater theological ability. He succeeded as a theologian despite his juridical training and his comparatively late handling of Biblical and doctrinal subjects.[19] intense episcopal consciousness furthered the growing doctrine of the Church and its sacerdotal ministry, while the prevalent asceticism of the day, continuing the Stoic and Ciceronian training of his youth, enabled him to promulgate a lofty standard of Christian ethics. Thus we have the De officiis ministrorum, De viduis, De virginitate and De paenitentia.[19] displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are."[34][35] Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." interpretation of Ambrose's writings is that he was a Christian universalist.[36] It has been noted that Ambrose's theology was significantly influenced by that of Origen and Didymus the Blind, two other early Christian universalists.[36] quotation cited in favor of this belief is: Our Savior has appointed two kinds of resurrection in the Apocalypse. 'Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection,' for such come to grace without the judgment. As for those who do not come to the first, but are reserved unto the second resurrection, these shall be disciplined until their appointed times, between the first and the second resurrection.[37] could interpret this passage as being another example of the mainstream Christian belief in a general resurrection (that both those in heaven and in hell undergo a bodily resurrection), or an allusion to purgatory (that some destined for heaven must first undergo a phase of purification). Several other works by Ambrose clearly teach the mainstream view of salvation. For example: "The Jews feared to believe in manhood taken up into God, and therefore have lost the grace of redemption, because they reject that on which salvation depends."[38] to the poor[edit] was also interested in the condition of contemporary Italian society.[39] Ambrose considered the poor not a distinct group of outsiders, but a part of the united, solidary people. Giving to the poor was not to be considered an act of generosity towards the fringes of society but a repayment of resources that God had originally bestowed on everyone equally and that the rich had usurped.[40] The theological treatises of Ambrose of Milan would come to influence Popes Damasus, Siricius and Leo XIII. Central to Ambrose is the virginity of Mary and her role as Mother of God.[41] virgin birth is worthy of God. Which human birth would have been more worthy of God, than the one in which the Immaculate Son of God maintained the purity of his immaculate origin while becoming human?[42] confess that Christ the Lord was born from a virgin, and therefore we reject the natural order of things. Because she conceived not from a man but from the Holy Spirit.[43] is not divided but one. If we adore him as the Son of God, we do not deny his birth from the virgin. ... But nobody shall extend this to Mary. Mary was the temple of God but not God in the temple. Therefore, only the one who was in the temple can be worshiped.[44] truly blessed for having surpassed the priest (Zechariah). While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.[45] viewed celibacy as superior to marriage and saw Mary as the model of virginity.[46] St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; Saint Bassian, Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Constantinople, 360-370, Eudoxius of Antioch, Byzantine Archbishop, influencial arian, liar, to get position
Byzantine Archbishop, 360-370, Eudoxius of Antioch; (died 370) was the eighth bishop of Constantinople from January 27, 360 to 370, previously bishop of Germanicia and of Antioch. Eudoxius was one of the most influential Arians. was from Arabissos of Asia Minor.[1] Eudoxius came to Eustathius, bishop of Antioch between 324 and 331, seeking holy orders. However, Eustathius found his doctrine unsound and refused him. Nevertheless, when Eustathius was deposed, the Arians or Eusebians had everything their own way and admitted Eudoxius to orders and made him bishop of Germanicia, on the confines of Syria, Cilicia, and Cappadocia. This bishopric he held at least 17 years, the period of the principal intrigues against Athanasius, and of the reigns of Constantine the Great's sons.[2] 341 the council of the Dedication or Encaenia was held under Placillus at Antioch. Eudoxius of Germanicia attended. He was an Arian pure and simple, a disciple of Aetius, a friend of Eunomius. The council produced four creeds, in which the Eusebian party succeeded in making their doctrine as plausible as might be, and the second of these became known as the "Creed of the Dedication". Athanasius says that Eudoxius was sent with Martyrius and Macedonius to take the new creed of Antioch to Italy. This new creed may, however, have been the Macrostich, or Long Formula, drawn up at a later council of Antioch.[2] 343 or 347 the rival councils of Sardica and Philippopolis were held. At the latter was drawn up a creed more Arian than those of Antioch, and it was signed by Eudoxius. Between 355 and 359 Eudoxius was in attendance on the emperor in the West, when news came of the death of Leontius of Antioch.[3] Against the canons, he took over the see of Antioch.[1] Allegedly excusing himself on the plea that the affairs of Germanicia required his presence, Eudoxius hastened to Antioch, and, representing himself as nominated by the emperor, got himself made bishop, and sent Asphalus, a presbyter of Antioch, to make the best of the case at court. Emperor Constantius II wrote to the church of Antioch: "Eudoxius went to seek you without my sending him. . . . To what restraint will men be amenable, who impudently pass from city to city, seeking with a most unlawful appetite every occasion to enrich themselves?".[2] Nonetheless, the emperor confirmed the election.[1] the first year of his episcopate at Antioch Eudoxius held a council, which received the creed of Sirmium. An idea may be formed of the Homoousian reception of his sermons from three different sources. Hilary of Poitiers, then in the East, heard Eudoxius in his cathedral, and wished his ears had been deaf. Theodoret and Epiphanius of Cyprus reported him as boasting that he had the same knowledge about God as God had about Himself.[2] September 359, a Council of Seleucia was held at Seleucia Isauria, the orthodox forming a very small minority. The majority signed the "Creed of the Dedication"; Eudoxius who was present, was deposed by Basil of Ancyra's party, and appears to have sought the shelter of the court at Constantinople. Here, by the aid of the Acacians, he secured his appointment as bishop on the deposition of Macedonius, and on January 27, 360, took possession of his throne in the presence of 72 bishops. On February 15 the great church of Constantinople, Saint Sophia, begun in 342 by the emperor Constantius II, was dedicated.[2] it is claimed, mounting his episcopal throne before the expectant multitude of courtiers, ecclesiastics, and citizens, began with the words: "The Father is asebes, the Son is eusebes." A great tumult of indignation arose on all sides in St. Sophia. The orator, unabashed, explained: "The Father is asebes because He honours nobody; the Son is eusebes because He honours the Father." The new cathedral echoed with peals of uncontrollable laughter. Thus, says Socrates Scholasticus,[4] these tore the church to pieces by their captious subtilties.[2] consecrated his friend Eunomius to the see of Cyzicus; but such complaints were brought to the emperor Constantius II that he ordered Eudoxius to depose him. Eudoxius acquiesced to the emperor's command and quietly persuaded Eunomius to retire.[2] 365 an attack was made on Eudoxius by the semi-Arians, now called Macedonians. Holding a meeting at Lampsacus, they signed the "Creed of the Dedication," cited Eudoxius and his party before them, and, as they did not come, sentenced them to deprivation; but emperor Valens refused to confirm the proceedings.[2] 367 Valens, as he was setting out for the Gothic War, was induced by his wife Albia Dominica to receive baptism from Eudoxius. In the same year he issued, likely under the advice of Eudoxius, an order that such bishops as had been banished by Constantius and had returned under Julian should again be exiled.[2] years during which Eudoxius and Valens acted together were allegedly troubled by portents, which Homoousians attributed to the anger of Heaven at Valens' banishment of bishops who would not admit Eudoxius to their communion. Eudoxius died in 370.[2] Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17;

Constantinople, 361, Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, saved while mocking baptism, then martyred
Ephesus, 361, Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, saved while mocking baptism, then martyred; Holy Martyr Porphyrius suffered during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363). Porphyrius was an actor and on the emperor’s birthday he was performing a role at the theater, where he was supposed to mock the mystery of holy Baptism. the play Porphyrius was immersed in water and said: “The servant of God, Porphyrius, is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Through divine grace, he emerged from the water and confessed himself a Christian. Julian ordered him to be tortured, and after the torments, to be beheaded. This took place in the city of Ephesus in the year 361. Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ;

Byzantium, 361-363, Emperor, Julian the Apostate, Constantine's Step Brother
Byzantine Emperor, 361-363, Julian the Apostate ; (331 - 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek.[4] His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism in its place, caused him to be remembered as Julian the Apostate by the Christian Church.[5][6] member of the Constantinian dynasty, Julian was orphaned as a child. He was raised by the Gothic slave Mardonius, who had a profound influence on him, providing Julian with literary education.[7] Julian became caesar over the western provinces by order of Constantius II in 355, and in this role he campaigned successfully against the Alamanni and Franks. Most notable was his crushing victory over the Alamanni at the Battle of Argentoratum (Strasbourg) in 357, leading his 13,000 men against a Germanic army three times larger. In 360, Julian was proclaimed Augustus by his soldiers at Lutetia (Paris), sparking a civil war with Constantius. However, Constantius died before the two could face each other in battle, and named Julian as his successor. 363, Julian embarked on an ambitious campaign against the Sasanian Empire. The campaign was initially successful, securing a victory outside Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia.[8] However, he did not attempt to besiege the capital and moved into Persia's heartland, but soon faced supply problems and was forced to retreat northwards while ceaselessly being harassed by Persian skirmishes. During the Battle of Samarra, Julian was mortally wounded under mysterious circumstances.[9][7] He was succeeded by Jovian, a senior officer in the imperial guard, who was obliged to cede territory, including Nisibis, in order to save the trapped Roman forces.[10] was a man of unusually complex character: he was "the military commander, the theosophist, the social reformer, and the man of letters".[11] He was the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, and he believed that it was necessary to restore the Empire's ancient Roman values and traditions in order to save it from dissolution.[12] He purged the top-heavy state bureaucracy, and attempted to revive traditional Roman religious practices at the expense of Christianity. His attempt to build a Third Temple in Jerusalem was probably intended to harm Christianity rather than please Jews.[7] Julian also forbade the Christians from teaching and learning classical texts.[13] Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated on February 19; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 361-363, Martyr Elpidius, Senator, Imperial Palace, Burned, Jesus appeared, resurrected him, burned again
Constantinople, 361-363, Martyr Elpidius, Senator, Imperial Palace, Burned, Jesus appeared, resurrected him, tortured again, idols crumbled, 6,000 converted, burned again ; Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Martyrs Elpidius, Marcellus, and Eustochius, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Holy Martyrs Elpidius, Marcellus and Eustochius suffered under the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Elpidius was a senator. They tried him before the imperial judge on charges of being a Christian. martyrs endured many terrible torments, and they died after being thrown into a fire. At the place where Christians buried the relics of the saints, Christ appeared with an host of angels and resurrected Elpidius. Then the emperor gave orders to arrest the holy martyr again. the torture, idols standing nearby crumbled into dust through the prayer of the saint. More than six thousand pagans witnessed this miracle and were converted to Christ. Saint Elpidius was burned again.

Constantinople, 361-420, Theodore of Antioch, tortured at 15 for transfering relics, angel relieved suffering, lived to 80
Constantinople, 361-420, Theodore of Antioch, tortured at 15 for transfering relics, angel relieved suffering, lived to 80; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23 ; Holy Martyr Theodore of Antioch, a fifteen-year-old youth, was condemned to fierce torments by the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Because he was responsible for the translation of the relics of Saint Babylas (September 4) from Daphne to Antioch, he was arrested and tortured. The executioners were dismayed that the saint could rejoice during the torture, and didn’t seem to feel any pain. They reported this miracle to the emperor, and he gave orders to release the saint. Theodore later said that when they were tormenting him, an angel appeared and relieved his suffering. When the angel left after the torture, the saint began to feel the pain. The holy Martyr Theodore lived to old age and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Constantinople, 363, Battle of Samarra v Persia, Julian the Apostate's death
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian's army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian'™s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Constantinople, 363-365, Council of Laodicea 363-364, Biblical Cannon, Astrology, and other rules
Council of Laodicea 363-364; Council of Laodicea was a regional synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor which assembled about 363–364 AD in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana. 1 Historical context 2 Major concerns 3 Biblical canon 4 Astrology 5 References 6 External links context[edit] council took place soon after the conclusion of the war between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, waged by Emperor Julian. Julian, the last Constantinian emperor, attempted a revival of paganism and resumed discrimination against Christians. After his death in battle on 26 June 363, officers of the army elected the Christian Jovian as his successor. Jovian, in a precarious position, far from supplies, ended the war with Persia unfavorably for Rome. He was soon succeeded by Valentinian I, who named his brother Valens Emperor of the East. concerns[edit] major concerns of the Council involved regulating the conduct of church members. The Council expressed its decrees in the form of written rules or canons. Among the sixty canons decreed, several aimed at: Maintaining order among bishops, clerics and laypeople (canons 3–5, 11–13, 21–27, 40–44, 56–57) Enforcing modest behaviour of clerics and laypeople (4, 27, 30, 36, 53–55) Regulating approach to heretics (canons 6–10, 31–34, 37), Jews (canons 16, 37–38) and pagans (canon 39) Outlawing the keeping of the Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraging rest on Sunday (canon 29) Outlining liturgical practices (canons 14–20, 21–23, 25, 28, 58–59) Restrictions during Lent (canons 45, 49–52) Admission and instruction of catechumens and neophytes (canons 45–48) Specifying a Biblical canon (canons 59–60) canon[edit] 59th canon forbade the readings in church of uncanonical books. The 60th canon listed Canonical books, with the New Testament containing 26 books, omitting the Book of Revelation, and the Old Testament including the 22 books of the Hebrew Bible plus the Book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah; but excluding all the deuterocanonical books proper. It is also believed that they may have demonized the "Second Book of Enoch", which led to its degeneration.[1] authenticity of the 60th canon is doubtful,[2] as it is missing from various Greek manuscripts and may have been added later[1] to specify the extent of the preceding 59th canon. The Latin version of the canons of Laodicea consistently omit the canon list. Around 350 AD, Cyril of Jerusalem produced a list matching that from the Council of Laodicea.[3] council marks the first occasion in Christianity of the explicit condemnation of astrology, a matter on which theologians and legislators had not yet reached consensus.[4][5] Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ;

Byzantium, 363-364, Emperor, Jovian, Orthodox, after Julian, declared by his soldiers, only 8 mos
Byzantine Emperor, 363-364, Jovian, Christian; (331 – 17 February 364) was Roman emperor from June 363 to February 364. As part of the imperial bodyguard, accompanied Emperor Julian on his campaign against the Sasanian Empire and following the latter's death, Jovian was hastily declared Emperor by his soldiers. With the army exhausted, provisions running low, and unable to cross the Tigris, he sought peace with the Sasanids on humiliating terms. his arrival at Edessa, Jovian was petitioned by bishops over doctrinal issues concerning Christianity. His return to Constantinople would be cut short by his death at Dadastana. Jovian reigned eight months. MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Byzantium, 364-378, Emperor, Valens, Arian, faced Persia in Armenia, burned alive at A by Goths, bad g, good a
Byzantine Emperor, 364-378, Valens, Arian ; Valens (328 - 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. He was the younger brother of the emperor Valentinian I, who gave Valens the eastern half of the Roman Empire to rule. Before 364, Valens had a largely unremarkable military career. In 378, Valens was defeated and killed at the Battle of Adrianople against the invading Goths, which astonished contemporaries and marked the beginning of barbarian encroachment into Roman territory. emperor Valens continually faced threats both internal and external.[4] He defeated, after some dithering, the usurper Procopius in 366, and campaigned against the Goths across the Danube in 367 and 369. In the following years, Valens focused on the eastern frontier, where he faced the perennial threat of Persia, particularly in Armenia, as well as additional conflicts with the Saracens and Isaurians. Domestically, he inaugurated the Aqueduct of Valens in Constantinople, which was longer than all the aqueducts of Rome. In 376–77, the Gothic War broke out, following a mismanaged attempt to settle the Goths in the Balkans. Valens returned from the east to fight the Goths in person, but lack of coordination with his nephew, the western emperor Gratian (Valentinian I's son), as well as poor battle tactics, led to Valens and much of the eastern Roman army dying at a battle near Adrianople in 378. Valens is described as indecisive, impressionable, a mediocre general and overall "utterly undistinguished", he was also a conscientious and capable administrator,[5] and a notable achievement of his was to significantly relieve the burden of taxation on the population.[6] At the same time, his suspicious and fearful disposition, and excessive concern for personal safety, resulted in numerous treason trials and executions, which heavily stained his reputation. Valens was a fanatic Arian Christian – the last Roman emperor to profess this denomination – and discriminated against trinitarian Christians while interfering little in the affairs of the pagans.[7][6][8] MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25 ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Constantinople, 364-407, Saint, Isaac of Dalmatius Monastery, Constantinople
Byzantium, 364-383, Saint, Isaac of Dalmatius Monastery, Constantinople; Byzantium, 364-440, Byzantine Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22;

Constantinople, 364-440, Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople
Byzantium, 364-440, Byzantine Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22;

Constantinople, 367-397, John Chrysostom, in Syria, ascetic, silence, monastic, writer, Preacher 12yrs and Public Speaker
Syrian Saint, 367-407, St John Chrysostom ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). Pascha in the following year (389) the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. ’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26;

Constantinople, 367-420, Porphyrios, Porphyry of Gaza, Archbishop
Byzantium, 367-420, Byzantine Saint, Porphyrios, Porphyry of Gaza; St. Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26;

Constantinople, 367-420, Roman Saint, Jerome, scholar, translator, theologian
Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); was the foremost biblical scholar of the ancient Church. His translation of the Bible, along with his commentaries and homilies on the biblical books, have made him a major intellectual force in the Western Church. was born in about 347, and was converted and baptized during his student days in Rome. a visit to Trier, he found himself attracted to the monastic life, which he tested in a brief but unhappy experience as a hermit in the deserts of Syria. Antioch, he continued his studies in Hebrew and Greek. In 379, he went to Constantinople where he studied under Gregory of Nazianzus. 382 to 384 he was secretary to Pope Damasus I, and spiritual director of many noble Roman ladies who were becoming interested in the monastic life. It was Damasus who set him the task of making a new translation of the Bible into Latin -- into the popular form of the language, hence the name of the translation: the Vulgate. the death of Damasus, Jerome returned to the East, and established a monastery at Bethlehem, where he lived and worked until his death on 30 September 420. is best known as the translator of the Bible into Latin. A previous version (now called the Old Latin) existed, but Jerome's version far surpassed it in scholarship and in literary quality. was well versed in classical Latin (as well as Greek and Hebrew), but deliberately translated the Bible into the style of Latin that was actually spoken and written by the majority of persons in his own time. This kind of Latin is known as Vulgate Latin (meaning the Latin of the common people), and accordingly Jerome's translation is called the Vulgate. Vulgate Latin is classical Latin in the first stages of evolving into such modern languages as Spanish, French, and Italian. It has begun the process of changing from an inflected language (in which words have various endings, or inflections, which are used to show the relation of the word to other words in the sentence) to a separate-word language like English (in which additional words, such as prepositions, are used, along with word order, to show the function of the word). Thus, in classical Latin, "He spoke to me," is dix it mihi or mihi dixit, but in Vulgate Latin it is dixit ad me. In the second century BC, Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, had translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Tradition had it that this translation was the work of 70 (or 72) scholars, and accordingly the result was known as the Septuagint (often written as LXX). The LXX contains six or more books (there is some leeway here) not found in the standard Hebrew text, known as the Masoretic Text (or MT), and sometimes reads differently from the MT in particular verses. New Testament writers, except for Matthew, when they are quoting the Old Testament, usually quote from the LXX. The differences in readings between the MT and the LXX were formerly explained by assuming that the LXX translators were sometimes not very good translators. very ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible, recently found at Qumran and elsewhere, often agree with the LXX against the MT. Accordingly, it is now generally supposed that the LXX is a fairly accurate translation of Hebrew manuscripts available at the time, and that sometimes the manuscripts that the LXX translators worked from differed from the manuscripts that became the basis for the standardized Hebrew text that we know today. The early Christians, most of whom knew Greek but not Hebrew, were accustomed to use the LXX as their version of the Old Testament Scriptures. (So, for that matter, did most Jews living in the Roman Empire outside of the land of Israel itself.) Old Latin translation had been made from the Greek. But Jerome was determined to make his translation from the Hebrew, partly because he considered it to be more accurate, and partly because he wanted a text that he could use as a basis for argument with Jewish opponents, without having them object, "But that is not what the Hebrew text says." a translation from the Hebrew, he ran into a difficulty with the Psalms. They were used regularly in public and private worship, and many Christians knew them well enough to notice and resent any radical changes from the wording they had always used. So Jerome translated the Psalms from the Greek, and salved his scholarly feelings by publishing a translation of the Psalms from the Hebrew in an Appendix. The history of the Psalms in English is in some ways similar. 1611, the King James Version of the Bible was published, and generally accepted by English-speakers. However, the Psalms in English were already an established part of public worship in the Coverdale translation of 1536 or thereabouts. For roughly 75 years worshippers in England had been reading, saying, singing, or chanting the Psalms in the Coverdale translation (also called the Prayer Book Version). Their response to the Psalms in the King James Version was: "What is this nonsense! Take away this new-fangled modern translation, and leave me to recite the Psalms in the good old-fashioned version that I learned at the knee of my dear old silver-haired mother, the most magnificent version that the pen of man has ever written, the version that has comforted and sustained me all the days of my life." So, when you attend an Anglican funeral, and you hear the choir chanting, The LORD is my shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in a green pasture, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort. are hearing the Coverdale Psalter. And for some of us, at least, it is a great tree, deeply rooted in the soil of English Christianity, and full of complex associations that make reading it a deeply moving experience. (I have heard rumors that there are versions of the Psalter used in some circles, that are even more modern and trendy than the King James. Hmmph!) was intemperate in controversy, and any correspondence with him tended to degenerate into a flame war. (His friendship with Augustine, conducted by letter, nearly ended before it began. Fortunately Augustine sized him up correctly, soothed his feelings, and was extremely tactful thereafter.) His hot temper, pride of learning, and extravagant promotion of asceticism involved him in many bitter controversies over questions of theology and of Bible interpretation. However, he was candid at times in admitting his failings, and was never ambitious for either worldly or churchly honors. He was a militant champion of orthodoxy, a tireless worker, and a scholar of rare gifts. by James Kiefer Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Jerome of Stridon was born into a Christian family in the city of Stridon located on the border between Dalmatia and Pannonia. full name is Eusebius Hieronymos Sophronius. His parents sent him to Rome, where he studied the secular sciences. At the beginning of his life in the capital, the youth was captivated by worldly vanities and fell into temptation. At the end of his time in Rome, Jerome resolved to change his life and to live in goodness and purity. the youth was about 20 years old, he accepted holy Baptism. After this he visited in Gaul (France). Then Saint Jerome decided to dedicate himself totally to God, and to become a monk. about the year 372 Saint Jerome returned to his native city, but his parents had already departed this life. On him fell the responsibility of raising his younger sisters and his brother Paulinian. These cares forced him to put aside his plans to enter a monastery, at least for a time. made arrangements for the care of his siblings, he journeyed to the East with several of his friends. 374, he decided to dwell in the desert of Chalcis southeast of Antioch. There he remained for about 5 years, combining work on the Holy Scriptures with austere ascetic deeds. Besides this, Saint Jerome mastered the Hebrew and Chaldean languages. this period he began his correspondence with numerous persons upon a variety of questions. About 120 letters, considered as authentically written by Saint Jerome, have been preserved. the beginning of the 360s there arose a controversy between the proponents of bishops Meletius, Paulinos and Vitalis. The controversy also reached the monastery where Saint Jerome toiled. In consequence, the disputes caused him to leave the monastery and go to Antioch. Here Bishop Paulinos ordained him to the priesthood. Saint Jerome visited Constantinople and conversed with the holy hierarchs Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa the year 381 he set off for Rome. At Rome he continued his studies. The holy Pope Damasus I (366-384), who also devoted much of his time to the study of Holy Scripture, made Jerome his secretary. because the saint denounced the morals of the contemporary Christian society, a whole party of those bearing malice towards the saint came forward to spread slanders about him. a three year stay at Rome, Saint Jerome felt compelled to abandon this city for good. Together with his brother Paulinian and friends, Saint Jerome visited the Holy Land, and also the monks of the Nitria wilderness monastery. the year 386 he settled into a cave at Bethlehem near the cave where Christ was born, and there he began a life of austere asceticism. was the period of blossoming of his creative activity. Attending to the studies of his time, Saint Jerome left to the Church a rich written legacy: collections of dogmatic-polemic works, moral-ascetic works, commentaries on Scripture, and historical works. the most important of his works was a new translation the books of the Old and New Testaments into the Latin language. This Latin translation is called the “Vulgate,” and it passed into general use throughout the Western Church. Jerome lived through the fall of his beloved city Rome, which was sacked by the Goths in the year 410. In the year 411 a new ordeal beset the saint, Bethlehem was invaded by wild Bedouin Arabs. Only through the mercy of God was the community of the aged ascetic saved from complete destruction. He finished his life at the cave in Bethlehem. Saint Jerome is believed to have reposed in 420. relics were transferred from Bethlehem to Rome in 642, but their present location is unknown. His hand is enshrined in a church near Rome’s Piazza Farnese.

Constantinople, 369-382, Gothic General, Athanaric, Pagan, Loser
Byzantine Period, Gothic General, 369-382, Athanaric, Pagan, Loser; Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Constantinople, 370-380, Patriarch, Lupus aka Demophilus of Constantinople
Constantinople Patriarch, 370-380, Lupus aka Demophilus of Constantinople; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25;

Constantinople, 372, Nicetas the Goth, Saint, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia
Byzantine Period, Gothic Saint, 372, Nicetas the Goth; is a Christian martyr of the 4th century, venerated particularly in the Russian Orthodox Church. His feastday is 15 September.[1] a Gothic soldier, lived in the Danube region at the margins of the Byzantine Empire.[2] Presumably, he received his Greek name on the occasion of his baptism by the Gothic bishop Theophilus, a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths began to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in internecine strife. Nicetas fought in the Gothic civil war between the pagan Athanaric and the Christian Fritigern. the defeat of Athanaric and after the invention of Gothic alphabets by Ulfilas, Nicetas worked intensely among the Goths.[2 He was condemned to the stake in 372. According to his Passio, the devil, shaped as an angel, induced Nicetas to sacrifice to the pagan gods for saving his life; Nicetas, however, put him to flight by means of prayer and assisted by archangel Michael. His body was buried it in Cilicia, and later transferred to Constantinople. Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Cyprus there are several churches and monasteries named after St Nicetas. See Church of Saint Nicetas. Nicetas is prayed to for the preservation of children from birth defects.[2] Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; Holy Great Martyr Nicetas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). He was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. The Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Saint Nikḗtas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. The Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Saint Nicetas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. Since he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Nikḗtas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. Filled with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Nicetas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. The cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Nikḗtas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Nicetas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. Although his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. By night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Nicetas, and buried it in Cilicia. Afterward, it was transferred to Constantinople. Part of the relics of the Great Martyr Nicetas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Thus Saint Nicetas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Nicetas for the preservation of children from birth defects. AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Constantinople, 372, Novoniketa Icon, Dacia, appeared on boy' chest in the night, Niketas baptised right away
Temple of St. Nicetas the Martyr on Shvivaya Hill beyond Yauza; Icon of the Mother of God of Novoniketa, Commemorated on September 15; is one of the most ancient icons of the Mother of God. It appeared to the holy martyr Nikḗtas (+ September 15, 372). Saint Nikḗtas, a former soldier, was a disciple of Bishop Theophilos of the Goths. Even before he was baptized, he saw a Child in a dream, holding a Cross in His hand. When he awakened, he thought about this for a long time, but was unable to understand what this vision signified. A Christian girl named Juliana, who had a special revelation from God, told him to look down at his chest. his unspeakable surprise, Nikḗtas found an Icon of the Mother of God on his chest. She held her divine Child on her lap, and He was holding a Cross in His hand. "This is the same Icon I saw in my dream," the startled Nikḗtas cried. The appearance of the Icon made such an impression on him that he was baptized right away. afterward, the persecution of Christians began, and Saint Nikḗtas received the crown of martyrdom along with many other confessors. When he was being led to the place of execution, he had on his chest, under his clothes, the Icon of the Mother of God which had appeared to him. was established that the Novonikḗta Icon of the Mother of God should be commemorated on the day of Saint Nikḗtas's martyrdom. list of miracles from this Icon is in Moscow, in the court cathedral, which is dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior, at the Gate of Saint Nikḗtas.

Constantinople, 373, Beret Icon, Beret Phoenecia, Biblos, Lebanon, Jesus icon, Jews, spear, blood and water, healing for all
Beret, Phoenecia Biblos; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christin Beret , Commemorated October 11 ; of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret: At the fourth session of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (in 787), Saint Peter, Bishop of Nicomedia, in defending the necessity of icon veneration, presented an account of Saint Athanasius about a miracle which occurred in the city of Beret, Phoenecia. this city, near the Jewish synagogue, lived a certain Christian. When he moved to another place, he left behind an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Jew, who moved into the house, paid no attention to the icon. Once, his friend noticed of the image of Jesus Christ on the wall and said to the homeowner, “Why do you, a Jew, have an icon in your house?” He then went to the synagogue and reported this transgression of Jewish law. Jews expelled the owner of the house from the synagogue. took the icon from the wall and began to scoff at it, “As once our fathers mocked Him, so we also mock Him.” They spit at the face of the Lord. Hurling abuses, they lashed at the icon, they placed thorns around the head, nailed it to a tree, and put a sponge with vinegar to the mouth. Finally, they took a spear, and one of the Jews thrust it into the side of the Savior. from the hole in the icon made by the spear, blood and water flowed. The Jewish rabbis, seeing the miracle, said, “The followers of Jesus Christ say that He could heal the sick. Let us take this blood and water into the synagogue and anoint those afflicted with infirmities. Then we shall see whether what is spoken of Him is true.” vessel with the blood was put in the synagogue. The inhabitants of Beret, once they learned of the miracle, began to bring those suffering from various illnesses into the synagogue. all were healed, after being anointed with the blood from the icon of the Savior. the Jewish people believed in Christ and exclaimed, “Glory to You, O Christ, Whom our fathers crucified, Whom we also crucified in the form of Your icon. Glory to You, O Son of God, for having worked such a miracle! We believe in You, therefore be merciful to us and receive us!” Jews went to the Bishop of Beret. After showing him the wonderworking icon and the blood and water that flowed from it, they told him of their misdeed. The bishop, seeing their sincere repentance, accepted them, catechized them for many days and then baptized them. he consecrated the synagogue into a church of our Savior Jesus Christ. At the request of the Jews, he also consecrated other synagogues into churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. There was great joy in that city, not only because many people were healed, but because many were baptized due to the miracles worked by the icon of the Savior. St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Constantinople, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Theologian, Latin church
Rome, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo; Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 374-450, Arsenius t Great, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine St, Theodosius' sons, Sketis, Silence, Flame, tears
Constantinople, 374-450, Arsenius t Great, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine St, Theodosius' sons, Sketis, Silence, Flame, baskets, tears; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Arsenius the Great was born in the year 354 at Rome into a pious Christian family, which provided him a fine education and upbringing. He studied rhetoric and philosophy, and mastered the Latin and Greek languages. Saint Arsenius gave up philosophy and the vanity of worldly life, seeking instead the true wisdom praised by Saint James “pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits” (Jas. 3:17). He entered the ranks of the clergy as a deacon in one of the Roman churches, dedicating himself to the service of God. emperor Theodosius (379-395), who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire, heard about his erudition and piety, and he wished to entrust Arsenius with the education of his sons Arcadius and Honorius. Arsenius, however, protested that he had given up secular studies in order to serve God. Against his will, but in obedience to the will of Pope Damasus (December 11), Saint Arsenius agreed to teach the imperial children, hoping to teach them Christian piety as well. he arrived at Constantinople, Arsenius was received with great honor by the emperor Theodosius, who charged him to educate his sons not only in wisdom, but also in piety, guarding them from the temptations of youth. “Forget that they are the emperor’s sons,” said Theodosius, “for I want them to submit to you in all things, as to their father and teacher.” fervor the saint devoted himself to the education of the youths, but the high esteem in which he was held troubled his spirit, which yearned for the quietude of monastic life. Saint Arsenius entreated the Lord to show him the way to salvation. The Lord heard his prayer and one time he heard a voice telling him, “Arsenius, flee from men, and you shall be saved.” And then, removing his rich clothing and replacing it with old and tattered garments, he secretly left the palace, boarded a ship for Alexandria, and he made his way to Sketis, a monastery in the midst of the desert. at the church, he asked the priests to accept him into the monastic brotherhood, calling himself a wretched wanderer, though his very manner betrayed him as a cultivated man. The brethren led him to Abba John the Dwarf (November 9), famed for his holiness of life. He, wishing to test the newcomer’s humility, did not seat Arsenius with the monks for the trapeza meal. He threw him a piece of dry bread saying, “Eat if you wish.” Saint Arsenius got down on his hands and knees, and picked up the bread with his mouth. Then he crawled off into a corner and ate it. Seeing this, Elder John said, “He will be a great ascetic!” Then accepting Arsenius with love, he tonsured him into monasticism. Arsenius zealously passed through his obediences and soon he surpassed many of the desert Fathers in asceticism. The saint again heard the Voice while he was praying, “Arsenius, hide from people and dwell in silence, this is the root of virtue.” From that moment Saint Arsenius settled in a solitary cell deep in the desert. taken on the struggle of silence he seldom left his seclusion. He came to church only on Sundays and Feast days, observing complete silence and conversing with no one. When Abba Moses asked him why he hid himself from people, Saint Arsenius replied, “God knows that I love you, but I cannot remain with God and with men at the same time. The Heavenly Powers all have one will and praise God together. On earth, however, there are many human wills, and each man has his own thoughts. I cannot leave God in order to live with people.” absorbed in constant prayer, the saint did not refuse visiting monks with his counsel and guidance, giving short, but perceptive answers to their questions. Once, a monk from Sketis saw the great Elder through a window standing at prayer, surrounded by a flame. handicraft of Saint Arsenius was to weave baskets, for which he used the fronds of date palms soaked in water. For a whole year Saint Arsenius did not change the water in the container, but merely added a little water to it from time to time. This caused his cell to be permeated with a foul stench. When asked why he did this, the saint replied that it was fitting for him to humble himself in this way, because in the world he had used incense and fragrant oils. He prayed that after death he would not experience the stench of hell. fame of the great ascetic spread far, and many wanted to see him, and they disturbed his tranquility. As a result, the saint was forced to move around from place to place. But those thirsting to receive his guidance and blessing still found him. Arsenius taught that many take upon themselves great deeds of repentance, fasting, and vigil, but it is rare for someone to guard his soul from pride, greed, jealousy, hatred of one’s brother, remembrance of wrongs, and judgment. In this they resemble graves which are decorated outwardly, but filled with stinking bones. certain monk once asked Saint Arsenius what he should do when he read the Holy Scriptures and did not comprehend their meaning. The Elder answered, “My child, you must study and learn the Holy Scriptures constantly, even if you do not understand their power... For when we have the words of the Holy Scriptures on our lips, the demons hear them and are terrified. Then they flee from us, unable to bear the words of the Holy Spirit Who speaks through His apostles and prophets.” monks heard how the saint often urged himself on in his efforts with the words, “Rouse yourself, Arsenius, work! Do not remain idle! You have not come here to rest, but to labor.” He also said, “I have often regretted the words I have spoken, but I have never regretted my silence.” great ascetic and keeper of silence was given the gift of tears with which his eyes were constantly filled. He spent fifty-five years at monastic labors and struggles. He spent forty years at Sketis, and ten years on the mountain of Troe near Memphis. Then he spent three years at Canopus, and two more years at Troe, where he fell asleep in the Lord. Our holy, God-bearing Father Arsenius reposed when he was nearly one hundred years old, in the year 449 or 450. only disciples seem to have been Alexander, Zoilos, and Daniel (June 7).

Byzantium, 375-383, Emperor, Gratian, Christian, in the West
Byzantine Emperor, 375-383, Gratian ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon "œthe Ancient" of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Theodore Trichinas "œthe Hair-Shirt Wearer"Â and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Constantinople, 376-382, Gothic Civil War, Eastern Roman Empire
Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7;

Constantinople, 376-382, Gothic General, Fritigern, Christian, Victor, Arian
Byzantine Period, Gothic General, 376-382, Fritigern, Christian, Victor Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Byzantium, 379-395, Emperor, Theodosis 1, the Great, with Christian Goths, anti Pagan
Byzantine Emperor, 379-395, Theodosis 1, the Great ; I (11 January 347-“ 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395, during Late Antiquity. reign accelerated the Christianization of the Roman Empire, achieved military successes when the frontiers of the empire were threatened by the wars of the Migration Period, and defeated two rival emperors in successive civil wars. He was the first emperor of the Theodosian dynasty (r. 379-“457), and married into the ruling Valentinianic dynasty (r. 364-“455). His decrees made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire and punished Roman paganism, Hellenistic religion, and Arianism. his capital Constantinople he commissioned the honorific Column of Theodosius, the Theodosian Walls, and the Golden Gate, among the greatest works of ancient Roman architecture. a military career and a governorship under his father Theodosius the Elder he became magister equitum and was then elevated to the imperial rank of augustus by the emperor Gratian (r. 367-“383). He replaced the latter's uncle and senior augustus Valens (r. 364-“378), who had been killed in the Battle of Adrianople. Theodosius married Gratian's half-sister Galla, daughter of Valentinian the Great (r. 364-“375), and defeated the rebellion of Magnus Maximus (r. 383-“388) on behalf of his new brother-in-law, Valentinian II (r. 375-“392). When Valentinian II died, Theodosius became the senior emperor, having already made his eldest son Arcadius his co-augustus. Theodosius then defeated the usurper Eugenius (r. 392-“394). accepting his elevation, he campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the Empire. His resources were not sufficient to destroy them or drive them out, which had been Roman policy for centuries in dealing with invaders. By treaty, which followed his indecisive victory at the end of the Gothic War, they were established as foederati, autonomous allies of the Empire, south of the Danube, in Illyricum, within the Empire's borders. They were given lands and allowed to remain under their own leaders, not assimilated as had been normal Roman practice. issued decrees that effectively made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, including the Edict of Thessalonica.[4][5] neither prevented nor punished the destruction of prominent Hellenistic temples of classical antiquity, including the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and the Serapeum in Alexandria. He dissolved the order of the Vestal Virgins in Rome's Temple of Vesta. In 393, he banned the pagan rituals of the Olympic Games. his death, Theodosius's young and incapable sons were the two augusti. Arcadius (r. 383-“408) inherited the eastern empire and ruled from Constantinople and Honorius (r. 393-“423) the western empire, an administrative division that endured until the fall of the western Roman empire in the late 5th century. fought two destructive civil wars, successively defeating the usurpers Magnus Maximus in 387-“388 and Eugenius in 394, at great cost to the power of the Empire. His management of the empire was marked by heavy tax exactions, by the compulsory establishment of Christianity, and by a court in which according to Peter Brown "everything was for sale".[6] is considered a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, and his feast day is on January 17.[7] life[edit] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius the Great was born on 11 January 347 or 346.[8] The epitome de Caesaribus places his birthplace at Cauca (Coca, Segovia) in Hispania.[8] According to the traditional texts of the chronicle of Hydatius and Zosimus, he was born at "Cauca in Gallaecia".[9][10][11] These texts are probably corrupted with interpolations, as Cauca was in fact not part of the province of Gallaecia, while according to Themistius, Claudius Claudianus, and Marcellinus Comes, he was born at Italica in Hispania Baetica.[11] These claims were probably fictitious and intended to connect Theodosius with the lineage of his distant predecessor Trajan (r. 98-“117), who had came from Italica.[8] Thedosius's father was Theodosius the Elder and his mother was Thermantia.[8] Theodosius had a brother named Honorius, a sister referred to in Aurelius Victor's De caesaribus but whose name is unknown, and a niece, Serena.[8] career[edit] accompanied his father, the comes rei militaris, on his 368-“369 campaign against the Franks, Scots, and Saxons to restore order and the rule of the emperors Valentinian I (r. 364-“375) and Valens (r. 364-“378) in Roman Britain, which had been threatened in 367 by the Great Conspiracy.[12][13][8] They also defeated the usurpation in Britain by Valentinus.[13] Previous to this in 366, Theodosius the Elder attacked and defeated the Alamanni in Roman Gaul; the defeated prisoners had been resettled in the Po Valley.[14][15] the Elder was made magister equitum in 369, and retained the post until 375.[8] Theodosius and his father son campaigned against the Alamanni 370.[8] The two Theodosi campaigned against Sarmatians in 372/373.[8] The emperors' rule in Roman Africa was disrupted by the revolt of Firmus in 373.[16] Theodosius the Elder moved to defeat the usurpation.[16] In about 373, Theodosius was made dux of the province of Moesia Prima.[17] In 374, the Quadi and their allies the Sarmatians overran the province of Valeria in the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.[18] Theodosius drove the Sarmatians out of the Roman territory and then defeated the Quadi.[19][20] He is reported to have defended his province with marked ability and success.[19] the Elder fell from power in 375, and Theodosius the dux of Moesia Prima retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[8] Their first child, Arcadius, was born around 377.[8] Pulcheria, their daughter, was born in 377 or 378.[8] Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378, when he was appointed magister equitum.[8] the death of his uncle Valens (r. 364-“378), Gratian, now the senior augustus, sought a candidate to nominate as Valens's successor. On 19 January 379, Theodosius I was made augustus over the eastern provinces at Sirmium.[8][21] His wife, Aelia Flaccilla, was accordingly raised to augusta.[8] The new augustus's territory spanned the Roman praetorian prefecture of the East, including the Roman diocese of Thrace, and the additional dioceses of Dacia and of Macedonia. Theodosius the Elder, who had died in 375, was then deified as: Divus Theodosius Pater, lit. 'the Divine Father Theodosius'.[8] administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395, under Theodosius I. of Valentinian II showing Valentinian and Theodosius I on the reverse, each holding a mappa reign: 379-“383[edit] October 379 the Council of Antioch was convened.[8] On 27 February 380 Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, making Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire.[8] In 380, Theodosius was made Roman consul for the first time and Gratian for the fifth; in September the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.[21][8] In autumn Theodosius fell ill, and was baptized.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius arrived at Constantinople and staged an adventus, a ritual entry to the capital, on 24 November 380.[8] issued a decree against Christians deemed heretics on 10 January 381.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, on the 11 January, Athanaric, king of the Gothic Thervingi arrived in Constantinople; he died and was buried in Constantinople on 25 January.[8] 8 May 381, Theodosius issued an edict against Manichaeism.[8] In mid-May, Theodosius convened the First Council of Constantinople, the second ecumenical council after Constantine's First Council of Nicaea in 325; the Constantinopolitan council ended on 9 July.[8] According to Zosimus, Theodosius won a victory over the Carpi and the Scirii in summer 381.[8] On 21 December, Theodosius decreed the prohibition of sacrifices with the intent of divining the future.[8] 21 February 382, the body of Theodosius's father in law Valentinian the Great was finally laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] Another Council of Constantinople was held in summer 382.[8] to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a treaty of foedus was reached with the Goths, and they were settled between the Danube and the Balkan Mountains.[8] settlement of the Gothic Wars[edit] Goths and their allies (Vandals, Taifals, Bastarnae and the native Carpians) entrenched in the provinces of Dacia and eastern Pannonia Inferior consumed Theodosius's attention. Gothic crisis was so dire that his co-Emperor Gratian relinquished control of the Illyrian provinces and retired to Trier in Gaul to let Theodosius operate without hindrance. major weakness in the Roman position after the defeat at Adrianople was the recruiting of barbarians to fight against other barbarians. In order to reconstruct the Roman Army of the East, Theodosius needed to find able bodied soldiers and so he turned to the most capable men readily at hand: the barbarians recently settled in the Empire. This caused many difficulties in the battle against barbarians since the newly recruited fighters had little or no loyalty to Theodosius. It did not help that Theodosius himself was dangerously ill during many months after his elevation, being confined to his bed in Thessalonica during much of 379.[22] suppressed the incursions into dioceses of Illyria (Pannonia and Dalmatia) by Alathaeus and Saphrax in 380.[23] He succeeded in convincing both to agree to a treaty and be settled in Pannonia.[24] was able finally to enter Constantinople in November 380, after two seasons in the field, having ultimately prevailed by offering highly favorable terms to the Gothic chiefs.[23] His task was rendered much easier when Athanaric, an aged and cautious leader, accepted Theodosius's invitation to a conference in the capital, Constantinople, and the splendor of the imperial city reportedly awed him and his fellow-chiefs into accepting Theodosius' offers.[25] himself died soon after, but his followers were impressed by the honorable funeral arranged for him by Theodosius, and agreed to defending the border of the empire.[25] The final treaties with the remaining Gothic forces, signed 3 October 382, permitted large contingents of barbarians, primarily Thervingian Goths, to settle in Thrace south of the Danube frontier.[26] The Goths now settled within the Empire would largely fight for the Romans as a national contingent, as opposed to being fully integrated into the Roman forces.[26] provinces along the Ister (Danube), showing the Roman dioceses of Thrace, Dacia, Pannonia and Italia Annonaria on the empire's northern frontier civil war: 383-“384[edit] of Theodosius, showing both he and his co-augustus Valentinian II (r. 375-“392) enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") to the Chronicon Paschale, Theodosius celebrated his quinquennalia on 19 January 383 at Constantinople; on this occasion he raised his eldest son Arcadius to co-augustus.[8] Early 383 saw the acclamation of Magnus Maximus as augustus in Britain and the appointment of Themistius as praefectus urbi in Constantinople.[8] On 25 July, Theodosius issued a new edict against gatherings of Christians deemed heretics.[8] unable to do much about Maximus due to his still inadequate military capability, opened negotiations with the Persian emperor Shapur III (r. 383-“388) of the Sasanian Empire.[27] In an attempt to curb Maximus's ambitions, Theodosius appointed Flavius Neoterius as praetorian prefect of Italy.[28] in 383, Gratian's wife Constantia died.[21] Gratian remarried, wedding Laeta, whose father was a consularis of Roman Syria.[29] On the 25 August 383, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Gratian was killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) by Andragathius, the magister equitum of the rebel augustus during the rebellion of Magnus Maximus .[21] Constantia's body arrived in Constantinople on 12 September that year and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 1 December.[21] Gratian was deified as Latin: Divus Gratianus, lit. 'the Divine Gratian'.[21] 21 January 384 all those deemed heretics were expelled from Constantinople.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius received in Constantinople an embassy from the Sasanian Empire in 384.[8] In summer 384, Theodosius met his co-augustus Valentinian II in northern Italy.[30][8] Theodosius brokered a peace agreement between Valentinian and Magnus Maximus which endured for several years.[31] of Theodosius, found in 1847 in Almendralejo, Spain reign: 384-“387[edit] second son Honorius was born on 9 December 384 and titled nobilissimus puer (or nobilissimus iuvenis).[8] The death of Aelia Flaccilla, Theodosius's first wife and the mother of Arcadius, Honorius, and Pulcheria, occurred by 386.[8] She died at Scotumis in Thrace and was buried at Constantinople, her funeral oration delivered by Gregory of Nyssa.[8][32] A statue of her was dedicated in the Byzantine Senate.[32] In 384 or 385, Theodosius's niece Serena was married to the magister militum, Stilicho.[8] On 25 May 385, Theodosius repeated the ban on sacrifices that were done in order to predict the future.[8] the beginning of 386, Theodosius's daughter Pulcheria also died.[8] That summer more Goths were defeated, and many were settled in Phrygia.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a Roman triumph over the Gothic Greuthungi was then celebrated at Constantinople.[8] The same year, work began on the great triumphal column in the Forum of Theodosius in Constantinople, the Column of Theodosius.[8] On 19 January 387, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arcadius celebrated his quinquennalia in Constantinople.[8] By the end of the month, there was an uprising or riot in Antioch (Antakya).[8] With a peace agreement with Persia in the Roman-“Persian Wars came a division of Armenia.[8] civil war: 387-“388[edit] peace with Magnus Maximus was broken in 387, and Valentinian escaped the west with Justina, reaching Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) in summer or autumn 387 and appealing to Theodosius for aid; Valentinian II's sister Galla was then married to the eastern augustus at Thessalonica in late autumn.[30][8] Theodosius may still have been in Thessalonica when he celebrated his decennalia on 19 January 388.[8] Theodosius was consul for the second time in 388.[8] Galla and Theodosius's first child, a son named Gratian, was born in 388 or 389.[8] 10 March 388, Christians deemed heretics were forbidden from residing in cities.[8] On 14 March, Theodosius banned the intermarriage of Jews and Christians.[8] In summer 388, Theodosius recovered Italy from Magnus Maximus for Valentinian, and in June, the meeting of Christians deemed heretics was banned by Valentinian.[30][8] armies of Theodosius and Maximus fought at the Battle of Poetovio in 388, which saw Maximus defeated. On 28 August 388 Maximus was executed.[33] Now the de facto ruler of the Western empire as well, Theodosius celebrated his victory in Rome on June 13, 389 and stayed in Milan until 391, installing his own loyalists in senior positions including the new magister militum of the West, the Frankish general Arbogast.[33] July, Magnus Maximus was defeated by Theodosius at the Battle of Save; on 28 August, Magnus Maximus was executed by Theodosius.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arbogast killed Flavius Victor (r. 384-“388), Magnus Maximus's young son and co-augustus, in Gaul in August/September that year. Damnatio memoriae was pronounced against them, and inscriptions naming them were erased.[8] affairs: 388-“391[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral, Anthony van Dyck, c. 1620 came into conflict with Ambrose, bishop of Mediolanum (Milan), in October 388 over the persecution of Jews at Callincium-on-the-Euphrates (Raqqa).[8] As mentioned in the Panegyrici Latini and in a panegyric of Claudian's on the sixth consulship of Honorius, Theodosius then received another embassy from the Persians in 389.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius staged an adventus on entering Rome on 13 June 389.[8] On 17 June, he issued a decree against Manichaeism.[8] Theodosiushad left Valentinian under the protection of the magister militum Arbogast, who then defeated the Franks in 389.[31][30] 390 the population of Thessalonica rioted in complaint against the presence of the local Gothic garrison. The garrison commander was killed in the violence, so Theodosius ordered the Goths to kill all the spectators in the circus as retaliation, an event known as the Massacre of Thessalonica; Theodoret, a contemporary witness to these events, reports: the anger of the Emperor rose to the highest pitch, and he gratified his vindictive desire for vengeance by unsheathing the sword most unjustly and tyrannically against all, slaying the innocent and guilty alike. It is said seven thousand perished without any forms of law, and without even having judicial sentence passed upon them; but that, like ears of wheat in the time of harvest, they were alike cut down.[34] was excommunicated by the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, for the massacre.[35] Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt; Ambrose readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance.[citation needed] spring 390, possibly in April, the Massacre of Thessalonica was perpetrated by Theodosius's army, leading to a confrontation with Ambrose.[8] Ambrose demanded that the emperor do penance for the massacre.[8] According to the 5th-century church historian Theodoret, on 25 December 390 (Christmas), Ambrose received Theodosius back into the Christian Church in his bishopric of Mediolanum.[8] According to the Chronicon Paschale, on 18 February 391, the head of John the Baptist was translated to Constantinople.[8] On the 24 February, attendance at pagan sacrifices and temples was forbidden by law.[8] In early summer 391, an uprising in Alexandria was suppressed, and the Serapeum of Alexandria was destroyed.[8] On 16 June, pagan worship was prohibited by law.[8] In 391, a delegation from the Roman Senate was snubbed in Gaul because of the reappearance of the Altar of Victory in the Curia Julia.[30] to Zosimus, Theodosius then campaigned against marauding barbarian bandits in Macedonia in autumn 391.[8] Eventually, he came to Constantinople, where according to Socrates Scholasticus's Historia Ecclesiastica he held an adventus, entering the city on 10 November 391.[8] of Eugenius (r. 392-“394), showing both he and Theodosius enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb. Marked: victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") of the Theodosian emperors from the Hoxne Hoard: portraits of Theodosius I (top), Arcadius (left), and Honorius (right) civil war: 392-“394[edit] 15 May 392, Valentinian II died at Vienna in Gaul (Vienne), either by suicide or as part of a plot by the magister militum Arbogast.[30] Valentinian had quarrelled publicly with Arbogast, and was found hanged in his room.[36] Arbogast announced that this had been a suicide.[36] He was deified with the consecratio: Divae Memoriae Valentinianus, lit. 'the Divine Memory of Valentinian'.[30] was then sole adult emperor, reigning with his son Arcadius. Arbogast was unable to assume the role of emperor because of his non-Roman background.[36] Instead, on 22 August at the behest of Arbogast, a magister scrinii and vir clarissimus, Eugenius, was acclaimed augustus at Lugdunum.[8] Eugenius made some limited concessions to the Roman religion; like Maximus he sought Theodosius's recognition in vain.[36] On 8 November 392, all cult worship of the gods was forbidden by Theodosius.[8] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius raised his second son Honorius to augustus on 23 January 393.[8] He cited Eugenius's illegitimacy.[36] 393 was the year of Theodosius's third consulship.[8] On 29 September 393, Theodosius issued a decree for the protection of Jews.[8] According to Zosimus, at the end of April 394, Theodosius's wife Galla died.[8] On 1 August, a colossal statue of Theodosius was dedicated in Constantinople's Forum of Theodosius, an event recorded in the Chronicon Paschale.[8] the last years of Theodosius's reign, one of the emerging leaders of the Goths, named Alaric, participated in Theodosius's campaign against Eugenius in 394, only to resume his rebellious behavior against Theodosius's son and eastern successor, Arcadius, shortly after Theodosius' death. had gathered a large army, including the Goths whom he had settled in the eastern empire as foederati, as well as Caucasian and Saracen auxiliaries, and marched against Eugenius.[37] According to Socrates Scholasticus, Theodosius defeated Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus (the Vipava) on 6 September 394.[8] battle began on 5 September 394, with Theodosius' full frontal assault on Eugenius's forces.[citation needed] Theodosius was repulsed on the first day, and Eugenius thought the battle to be all but over.[citation needed] In Theodosius's camp, the loss of the day decreased morale.[citation needed] It is said[by whom?] that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage.[citation needed] The next day, the battle began again and Theodosius's forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora, which produces cyclonic winds.[38] The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line.[citation needed] Eugenius's camp was stormed; Eugenius was captured and soon after executed.[38] On 8 September, Arbogast killed himself.[8] to Socrates, on 1 January 395, Honorius arrived in Mediolanum and a victory celebration was held there.[8] suffered from a disease involving severe edema, in Milan.[39] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius died in Mediolanum on 17 January 395.[8] His funeral was held there on 25 February.[8] Ambrose delivered a panegyric titled De obitu Theodosii in the presence Stilicho and Honorius in which Ambrose praised the suppression of paganism by Theodosius.[39] body transferred to Constantinople, where according to the Chronicon Paschale he was buried on 8 November 395 in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] He was deified as: Divus Theodosius, lit. 'the Divine Theodosius'.[8] He was interred in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his work De Ceremoniis.[40] offers a laurel wreath to the victor, on the marble base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. patronage[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) oversaw the removal in 390 of an Egyptian obelisk from Alexandria to Constantinople.[41] It is now known as the obelisk of Theodosius and still stands in the Hippodrome of Constantinople,[41] the long Roman circus that was the centre of Constantinople's public life and scene of political turmoil. Re-erecting the monolith was a challenge for the technology that had been honed in the construction of siege engines. The obelisk, still recognizably a solar symbol, had been moved from Karnak to Alexandria with what is now the Lateran obelisk by Constantius II. Lateran obelisk was shipped to Rome soon afterwards, but the other one then spent a generation lying at the docks due to the difficulty involved in attempting to ship it to Constantinople. Eventually, the obelisk was cracked in transit. The white marble base is entirely covered with bas-reliefs documenting the imperial household and the engineering feat of removing it to Constantinople. Theodosius and the imperial family are separated from the nobles among the spectators in the imperial box, with a cover over them as a mark of their status. The naturalism of traditional Roman art in such scenes gave way in these reliefs to conceptual art: the idea of order, decorum and respective ranking, expressed in serried ranks of faces. This is seen as evidence of formal themes beginning to oust the transitory details of mundane life, celebrated in Roman portraiture. Forum Tauri in Constantinople was renamed and redecorated as the Forum of Theodosius, including a column and a triumphal arch in his honour.[42] of Nazianzus takes his leave of the emperor Theodosius in a miniature from the Paris Gregory, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the Homilies of Gregory policy[edit] 325, Constantine I convened the Council of Nicaea, which affirmed the doctrine that Jesus, the Son, was equal to God the Father and "of one substance" with the Father (homoousios in Greek). The Council condemned the teachings of Arius, who believed Jesus to be inferior to the Father. the council's ruling, controversy continued for decades, with several christological alternatives to the Nicene Creed being brought forth. Theologians attempted to bypass the Christological debate by saying that Jesus was merely like (homoios in Greek) God the father, without speaking of substance (ousia). These non-Nicenes were frequently labelled as Arians (i.e., followers of Arius) by their opponents, though not all would necessarily have identified themselves as such.[43] Emperor Valens had favored the group who used the homoios formula; this theology was prominent in much of the East and had under Constantius II gained a foothold in the West, being ratified by the Council of Ariminum, though it was later abjured by a majority of the western bishops (after Constantius II's death in 361). The death of Valens damaged the standing of the Homoian faction, especially since his successor Theodosius steadfastly held to the Nicene Creed which was the interpretation that predominated in the West and was held by the important Alexandrian church. of orthodoxy[edit] Barocci, Saint Ambrose forces Emperor Theodosius I to make penance for the Thessaloniki massacre (1603), left-side nave, Saint Ambrose Altar, Milan Cathedral. 27 February 380, together with Gratian and Valentinian II, Theodosius issued the decree "Cunctos populos", the so-called Edict of Thessalonica, recorded in the Codex Theodosianus xvi.1.2. This declared the Nicene Trinitarian Christianity to be the only legitimate imperial religion and the only one entitled to call itself Catholic; non-Christian religions or those who did not support the Trinity, he described as "foolish madmen".[44] He also ended official state support for the traditional polytheist religions and customs.[45] 26 November 380, two days after he had arrived in Constantinople, Theodosius expelled the Homoian bishop, Demophilus of Constantinople, and appointed Meletius patriarch of Antioch, and Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers from Cappadocia (today in Turkey), patriarch of Constantinople. Theodosius had just been baptized, by bishop Ascholius of Thessalonica, during a severe illness.[citation needed] May 381, Theodosius summoned a new ecumenical council at Constantinople to repair the schism between East and West on the basis of Nicene orthodoxy.[46] The council went on to define orthodoxy, including the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as equal to the Father and 'proceeding' from Him, whereas the Son was 'begotten' of Him.[47] The council also "condemned the Apollonarian and Macedonian heresies, clarified jurisdictions of the bishops according to the civil boundaries of dioceses and ruled that Constantinople was second in precedence to Rome."[47] of pagan religion[edit] article: Persecution of pagans under Theodosius I persecution of pagans under Theodosius I began in 381, after the first couple of years of his reign in the Eastern Roman Empire. In the 380s, Theodosius I reiterated Constantine's ban on some practices of Roman religion, prohibited haruspicy on pain of death, decreed magistrates who did not enforce laws against polytheism were subject to criminal prosecution, broke up some pagan associations and tolerated attacks on Roman temples. 391 and 392 Theodosius promulgated three laws restricting pagan religious practices. The first, issued in June 391 and addressed to the urban prefect of Rome, banned ritual sacrifice and access to temples, with heavy fines for infractors. A similar measure was addressed to Alexandria in June 392. These two laws were apparently aimed at public officials specifically and not binding on the population at large.[48] The third and more extreme law, issued in November 392, prohibited pagan worship in every form, including animal sacrifice and offerings of incense and wine, again threatening offenders with confiscation of property.[49] This measure was addressed specifically to the praetorian prefect of the East, the staunchly Christian Rufinus, and there is seemingly no evidence of its application in the West, where Theodosius himself appointed several pagans to high office to mollify them.[50] He turned pagan holidays into workdays, closed temples, confiscated Temple endowments and disbanded the Vestal Virgins.[51] The practices of taking auspices and witchcraft were punished. Theodosius refused to restore the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, as asked by non-Christian senators.[52]:115 392 until his death in 395, while non-Christians continued to request toleration,[53][54] he ordered, authorized, or at least failed to punish, the closure or destruction of many temples, holy sites, images and objects of piety throughout the empire.[55][56][57][58][59] 393 he issued a comprehensive law that prohibited any public non-Christian religious customs,[60] and was particularly oppressive to Manicheans.[61] He is likely to have discontinued the ancient Olympic Games, whose last record of celebration was in 393, though archeological evidence indicates that some games were still held after this date.[62] Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated on August 14; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 8; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœComfortÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ or ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœConsolationÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on January 21; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe AncientÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Hair-Shirt WearerÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Constantinople, 379-390, Patriarch, Gregory the Theologian, of Nazianzus
Constantinople Patriarch, 379-390, Gregory the Theologian; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25;

Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381, consolidated 325 victory, over new Nicene Creed heresys
Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381, First Council of Constantinople; of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Second Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 381 and consolidated the victory of Orthodoxy attained in the year 325 at the First Ecumenical Council. the difficult years which passed after the acceptance of the Nicene Symbol of Faith (Creed), the Arian heresy developed new offshoots. Under the guise of struggle against the Sabellian heresy, which taught about a blending of the Hypostatic Persons of the Father and the Son [as mere aspects or modalities within the Trinity], Macedonius began to employ the word “homoiousiosâ€ “of similar essenceâ€ [in contrast to the Orthodox teaching of “homoousiosâ€, “of the same essenceâ€] regarding the essence of the Son and that of the Father. formula still presented a danger because Macedonius presented himself as a struggler against the Arians, who used the term “like the Father.â€ Besides this, the Macedonians, being semi-Arians, depending on conditions and advantages of the moment, sometimes inclined towards Orthodoxy, sometimes towards Arianism. They blasphemed the Holy Spirit by suggesting that He was not “of the same essenceâ€ with the Father and the Son. second heretic, Aetius, introduced the concept “anomoionâ€ (“different in essence.â€) He said that the Father has a completely different essence from that of the Son. His disciple Eunomios taught a hierarchical subordination of the Son to the Father, and of the Holy Spirit to the Son. Everyone who came to him was rebaptized into the “death of Christ,â€ denying Baptism in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which is commanded us by the Savior Himself (Mt. 28:19). third heresy arose from the teachings of Valentius and Ursacius at the Arimonian Council. They attempted to deceive the Orthodox bishops, proclaiming that the Son of God is from God, and is in the likeness of God the Father, and is not a created being as the Arians taught. The heretics did not wish to use the term “one in essenceâ€ in describing the relation of the Son to the Father, saying that the word “essenceâ€ is not found within the Holy Scripture. Besides these three main heresies, there were also many other false teachings. The heretic Apollinarios said, “The flesh of the Savior did not have a human soul or reason. The Word of God took the place of the absent soul; and Divinity remained dead for three days.â€ order to refute these heretical opinions, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395) convened an Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, at which 150 bishops were present. Upon investigation by the Holy Fathers it was proposed that a Creed which holy Pope Damasus had sent to Bishop Paulinus of Antioch should be read. This appears to be the so-called Sirmean Creed, drawn up by Potamius of Lisbon, who participated in a pro-Arian Council at Sirmium in 357, but changed his opinions two years later. The document was a vain attempt to please everyone by not mentioning the terms ousia (essence, or substance), homoousios (identical in essence, or substance), and homoiousion (similar in essence, or substance), "by which the minds of many are perturbed." It said that there "ought to be no mention of any of them at all, nor any exposition of them in the Church." By not defining the Church's teaching clearly, the document is ambiguous, neither endorsing the various heresies it contained, nor the teaching of the Church. Ecumenical Synod is convened primarily to deal with false teachings and refute them by proclaiming the faith handed down to us by the Apostles and the Holy Fathers. To use the definition of St. Vincent of Lérins: "that which has been believed everywhere, always, by everyone." There can be no compromise between truth and falsehood. the document was aloud, the Holy Fathers rejected the false teaching of Macedonius, and unanimously affirmed the Apostolic teaching that the Holy Spirit is not a creature, but is rather the Life-Creating Lord, Who proceeds from the Father, and is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son. In order to combat other heresies, of the Eunomians, Arians and Semi-Arians, the Holy Fathers reaffirmed the Nicene Symbol of Faith. the Symbol (Creed), accepted by the First Ecumenical Council, the divine nature of the Holy Spirit was not addressed, since at that earlier time [in 325] heresies against the Holy Spirit had not become widespread. Therefore, the holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council added to the Nicean Symbol its eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth sections. They definitively formulated and affirmed the Nicene-Constantinople Symbol of Faith, which is used even now by all the Orthodox Churches. Second Ecumenical Council also established the norms for ecclesiastical courts [Canon VI], and it decided to receive those repentant heretics who were properly baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity through Chrismation, but those baptized with a single immersion were to be received as pagans. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated November 23 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386) ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Constantinople, 381-397, Nectarius, Patriarch, catechumen apptmt , good prelate, Church Fathers' testimonies
Constantinople Patriarch, 381-397, Holy Patriarch Nectarius; (died 17 September 397) was the archbishop of Constantinople from AD 381 until his death, the successor to Saint Gregory Nazianzus [1] and predecessor to St. John Chrysostom. at Tarsus in Cilicia of a noble family, he was widely known for his admirable character. When Gregory resigned as Archbishop of Constantinople, Nectarius was praetor of Constantinople.[1] Preparing for a journey to Tarsus, he called on the Bishop of Tarsus, Diodore, who was attending the First Council of Constantinople (one of the ecumenical councils), to ask if he could take letters for him; his appearance and manners struck Diodorus so forcibly that he at once determined that he should be advanced as a candidate for Bishop; making an excuse of attending to some other business, he took Nectarius to see Meletius.[2] unexpected appointment[edit] the Emperor Theodosius I wanted the Bishops at the Council to suggest new candidates and reserving to himself the right of making the choice, the Bishop of Antioch put at the bottom of his list, Nectarius' name. The Emperor having read the lists, declared Nectarius to be his choice. This caused some amazement amongst the Fathers who wanted to know who and what this Nectarius was. He was still only a catechumen. There was much astonishment at the emperor's unexpected choice, but the people of Constantinople were delighted at the news as was the whole council.[1] was duly baptized and his clothes were changed for the robes of a Bishop of the Imperial city and became at once president of the Second Ecumenical Council.[1] ruled the church for upwards of 16 years, and is thought of as having been a good prelate. His name heads the 150 signatures to the canons of the Second Ecumenical Council. The 3rd canon declares that, "...the Bishop of Constantinople shall hold the first rank after the bishop of Rome, because Constantinople is the new Rome." threatens[edit] the Bishops of the West opposed the election result and asked for a common synod of East and West to settle the succession and so the Emperor Theodosius, soon after the close of the second council, summoned the Imperial Bishops to a fresh synod at Constantinople; nearly all of the same bishops who had attended the earlier second council were assembled again in early summer of 382. On arrival they received a letter from the synod of Milan, inviting them to a great general council at Rome; however they indicated that they must remain where they were, because they had not made any preparations for such long a journey. However, they sent three --Syriacus, Eusebius and Priscian—with a synodal letter to Pope Damasus I, archbishop Saint Ambrose and the other bishops assembled in the council at Rome.[1] Roman synod to which this letter was addressed was the fifth under Damasus. No formal account remains of its proceedings, nor of how its members treated the question of Nectarius. Theodosius, did however, send commissaries to Rome in support of his synod.[1] his 15th letter (to the bishops of Illyria) he indicated that the church in Rome had finally agreed to recognize both Nectarius and Flavian.[1] letters from Nectarius remain extant in the files of his predecessor Gregory Nazianzus. In the first he expresses his hearty good wishes for his episcopate. The last is of great importance, urging him not to be too liberal in tolerating the Apollinarians.[1] 383 a third synod at Constantinople was held. In spite of the decrees of bishops and emperor, the Arians and Pneumatomachians continued to spread their doctrines. Theodosius summoned all parties to the Imperial city for a great discussion in June, hoping to reconcile all differences. Before this he had sent for the Archbishop and told him that all questions should be fully debated.[1] this, Nectarius returned home, full of anxiety and consulted the Novatianist Bishop Agelius, who felt himself unsuited to arbitrate on such a controversy. However he did have a reader, Sisinnius, a philosopher and theologian, to whom he referred the argument with the Arians. Sisinnius suggested that they should produce the testimonies of the old Fathers of the Church on the doctrine of the Son, and first ask the heads of the several parties whether they accepted these authorities or desired to anathematize them.[1] the Archbishop and the Emperor agreed to this suggestion and when the Bishops met, the Emperor asked whether they respected "...the teachers who lived before the Arian division?" They confirmed that they did and he then asked if they acknowledged, "...them sound and trustworthy witnesses of the true Christian doctrine?".[1] question however produced divisions and so the emperor ordered each party to draw up a written confession of its doctrine. When this was done, the Bishops were summoned to the Imperial palace, where the emperor received them with kindness and retired to his study with their written confessions. Theodosius however rejected and destroyed all except that of the orthodox, because he felt that the others introduced a division into the Holy Trinity.[1] this, Theodosius forbade all sectaries, except the Novatianists, to hold divine services or to publish their doctrines or to ordain clergy, under threat of severe civil penalties.[1] 385 the emperor's wife Aelia Flaccilla (or Placilla) and their daughter Pulcheria died. The archbishop asked Gregory of Nyssa to preach the funeral sermons for both of them.[1] the close of his episcopate, Nectarius abolished the office of presbyter penitentiary, whose duty appears to have been to receive confessions before communion. His example was followed by nearly all other Bishops. The presbyter penitentiary was added to the ecclesiastical roll about the time of the Novatianist schism, when that party declined to communicate with those who had lapsed in the Decian persecution. Gradually there were fewer lapsed to reconcile, and his duties became more closely connected with preparation for communion. Nectarius abolished the office due to a scandal that had occurred in connection with it.[3] died in office on 17 September 397[4] (Butler says 27 September) and was succeeded by Saint John Chrysostom.[3] Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25 ;

Constantinople, 383, Saturninus, consul, christian roman officer and politician, Goths, Thrace, Haemus pass, plains, exiled
Byzantium, 383, Saturninus (consul 383); Saturninus (fl. 377–400) was a Roman army officer and politician. was probably a Christian: it is known that he hosted a bishop, that he donated to a monastery and that he was in touch for a short time with Gregory of Nazianzus. followed the military career, and in 377/378 he fought against the Goths. After the inconclusive Battle of the Willows, the Eastern Emperor Valens, who was in the Eastern frontier, appointed Saturninus temporary commander of cavalry and sent him to Thrace with a cavalry unit, to support the magister peditum Traianus.[1] Saturninus and Traianus blocked the Goths near the passes of the Haemus, building a line of fortifications that repulsed the Gothic attacks. The two generals hoped to force the Goths to suffer through the cold winter and the scarcity of food in order to force them into submission; alternatively, the two generals planned to call back the sentinels, luring the Goths of Fritigern into an open-field battle in the plains between the Haemus and the Danube, where they were confident of winning.[2] Fritigern did not accept battle, but enlisted Hunnic and Alan reinforcements. Saturninus realised that he could no longer fight the enemy with his troops, lifted the block on the mountain passes, and retired.[3] magister militum per Thracias, Emperor Theodosius I, who had succeeded Valens after his death in the Battle of Adrianople, entrusted Saturninus to negotiate peace with the Goths: in October 382 he signed a treaty according to which the Goths were to live in the Low Danube as foederati. successful negotiation guaranteed Saturninus the imperial favour, and he was appointed consul for the year 383. Themistius dedicated to him a panegyric. 400 Saturninus was serving under the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, when the magister militum Gainas deposed and exiled him. Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ;

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

Byzantium, 395-408, Emperor, Arcadius in the East, weak, Eudoxia, Alaric, Chrysostom
Byzantine Emperor, 395-408, Arcadius in the East; Arcadius ( 1 January 377 – 1 May 408) was Roman emperor from 383 to 408. He was the eldest son of the augustus Theodosius I (r. 379–395) and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius (r. 393–423). Arcadius ruled the eastern half of the empire from 395, when their father died, while Honorius ruled the west. A weak ruler, his reign was dominated by a series of powerful ministers and by his wife, Aelia Eudoxia.[2] Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable John Calabytes "œthe Hut-Dweller"Â, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Icon of the Mother of God "œComfort or œConsolation"Â, Commemorated on January 21; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 395-404, Empress, Aelia Eudoxia in the East, conflict with John Chrysostom
Byzantium, 395-404, Emperess Aelia Eudoxia in the East ; Eudoxia (died 6 October 404) was a Roman Empress consort by marriage to the Roman Emperor Arcadius. marriage was the source of some controversy, as it was arranged by Eutropius, one of the eunuch court officials, who was attempting to expand his influence. Empress, she came into conflict with John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who was popular among the common folk for his denunciations of imperial and clerical excess. She had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood, including her only son and future emperor Theodosius II, but she had two additional pregnancies that ended in either miscarriages or stillbirths and she died as a result of the latter one. Byzantine Emperess, 395-408, Eudoxia in the East; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 395-423, Emperor, Honorius in the West, weak, Rome sacked
Byzantine Emperor, 395-423, Honorius in the West; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Constantinople, 396-444, Cyril, dogmatic writings, Orthodox truth, interpret Scripture, censure heretics
Byzantine Saint, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose).

Constantinople, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy
Egypt, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy; Alexandria; Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandriam Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose). Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Constantinople, 397-407, John Chrysostom in C, Priest's p, s Liturgy, Exodia's hatred, 3 exiles, earthquake, fire, barbarians
Byzantine Saint, 369-407, John Chrysostom; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). Pascha in the following year (389) the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. ’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas "œthe Hair-Shirt Wearer"Â and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20;

Constantinople, 399-420, Saint, Maruthas of Martyropolis, pius writer, envoy, marytr
Byzantine Saint, 399-420, Maruthas of Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Maruthas was Bishop of Tagrith (Martyropolis), a city which he founded between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. He was famed for his knowledge and his piety, he wrote about the martyrs, and he suffered for his faith in Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor. He also left behind other works in the Syrian language, among which the most famous are: “Commentary on the Gospel,” “Verses of Maruthas,” “Liturgy of Maruthas” and “The 73 Canons of the Ecumenical Council at Nicea” (325) with an account of the acts of the Council. the year 381 Saint Maruthas participated in the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, convened against the heresy of Macedonius. In 383, he attended the Council of Antioch against the Messalians. the years 403-404 Saint Maruthas set off to Constantinople to plead with the emperor Arcadius to protect Persian Christians. He was twice sent by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to the Shah Izdegerd to secure the peace between the Empire and Persia. the year 414 Saint Maruthas, having done his duty as envoy to the court of Izdegerd, persuaded the Shah to a favorable disposition towards Christians, and he assisted greatly in the freedom of Christians in Persia. He rebuilt Christian churches razed during the persecution by the Persian ruler Sapor. He also located relics of saints who had suffered martyrdom and transferred them to Martyropolis. He died there in 422. The relics of Saint Maruthas were later transferred to Egypt and placed in a skete monastery of the Mother of God.

Constantinople, 400-499, 5th Century, Folder, Nestorius, Nestorianism

Constantinople, 401-485, Marcellus, Apamea, Syria, monastic schema, spiritual talents, clairvoyance, angels encircling
Syria, 401-485, Marcellus, Apamea, Syria, monastic schema, spiritual talents, clairvoyance, angels encircling; Apamea, Syria; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Marcellus, igumen of the Monastery called “the Unsleeping Ones,” was a native of the city of Apamea in Syria. parents were wealthy, but died when he was young. received his education first at Antioch, and then at Ephesus. his possessions left him by his parents he distributed to the poor, thereby sundering his ties to the world. the guidance of an experienced elder at Ephesus, Marcellus entered upon the path of asceticism. later went on to Byzantium to Saint Alexander, igumen of the monastery named “the Unsleeping.” The monastery received its name because in it psalmody was done constantly, both day and night, by alternating groups of monks. Alexander accepted Marcellus and tonsured him into the monastic schema. in the works of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, the saint received great spiritual talents and the gift of clairvoyance. foresaw the day of Abba Alexander’s death and his own election as igumen. However, since he was still young, he did not want to rule others. So he slipped out of the monastery to visit other provinces and other monasteries, where he received edification from the monks who lived there. the death of Saint Alexander, when Abba John had already been chosen as igumen, Marcellus returned to the great joy of the brethren. Abba John made Marcellus his own closest assistant. After John’s death, Saint Marcellus was chosen igumen of the monastery in spite of his own wishes, and in this position he remained for sixty years. of his saintly life spread far. People came to Marcellus from afar, both the illustrious and the common, rich and the poor. Many times they saw angels encircling the saint, attending and guarding him. With the help of God, the monastery of “the Unsleeping Ones” flourished. So many monks came to place themselves under the direction of Saint Marcellus that it became necessary to enlarge the monastery and the church. Marcellus received donations from believers for expansion, and built a beautiful large church, a hospital, and a hostel for the homeless. By his prayers the monk treated the sick, cast out devils and worked miracles. example, one of the monks was sent to Ankara and fell ill. Being near death, he called out mentally to his abba. At that very hour Saint Marcellus heard his disciple in the monastery, and he began to pray for him. He who was sick recovered at once. a ship with his monks came into danger on the Black Sea, the saint calmed the tempest by his prayers. time, when they told him that a fire was raging at Constantinople, he prayed tearfully for the city, and the fire subsided as if extinguished by the tears of the monk. the servant of a certain Arian nobleman named Ardaburios, was unjustly accused of something, and he hid out at the monastery to escape his master’s wrath. Ardaburios twice demanded that Saint Marcellus hand John over to him, but he refused. Ardaburios then sent out a detachment of soldiers, who surrounded the monastery, threatening to slay anyone who interfered with their mission. The brethren went to the abba, asking him to surrender John and save the monastery. Saint Marcellus signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, then boldly went out alone through the monastery gate towards the soldiers. Lightning flashed in the sky, thunder rumbled, and the Cross appeared shining brighter than the sun. The soldiers threw down their weapons and took to flight. Ardaburios, learning from the soldiers what had happened, was frightened, and because of Saint Marcellus he pardoned the servant. Marcellus peacefully departed to the Lord in the year 485. His faithful disciple Lukian grieved terribly over him, but on the fifth day after the death Saint Marcellus appeared to him and comforted him, foretelling his own impending end.

Constantinople, 403, Synod of the Oak, Constantinople, against Chrysostom
Synod of the Oak (403) illegally condemned Saint John Chrysostrom ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 403-439, Melania the Younger, wealth, chasity, visited prison and mine convicts, helped monasteries, much more
Rome, 403-439, Melania the Younger of Rome, wealth, chasity, children died, new life dedicated to God, visited sick , debtors prison, and mine convicts, sold estates italy and spain, helped monasteries in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia and Palestine, to Africa, storm, ransom for city on the way, 7 yrs in Carthage, Cyril and Nestorius, to Jerusalem, distributed rest of gold, poverty and prayer, short egypt visit, desert fathers, Melania's cell on mt of olives, later founded monastery, 90 virgins, husband Apinianus died, 4 more yrs fasting and p, benefactor sent for Mount of the Assension Chapel; Melania the Younger (born in Rome c. 383, died in Jerusalem on 31 December 439) is a Christian saint and Desert Mother who lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder. Feast of Melania the Younger is held on 31 December (the Julian calendar's 31 December falls on 13 January on the Gregorian calendar). In Ukraine, by Orthodox Christians, Malanka ("Melania's Day") is celebrated on 13 January, and on 31 December by other Christians. Mount of the Assension, Chapel of the Assension; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Melania was born in Rome into a devout Christian family. Her parents, people of property and wealth, hoped that their daughter would marry and have children who would inherit their wealth. fourteen years of age Melania was married to the illustrious youth Apinianus. From the very beginning of their married life, Saint Melania asked her husband to live with her in chastity or else release her from the marriage. Apinianus answered, “I cannot agree to this right now. When we have two children to inherit the property, then we shall both renounce the world.” Melania gave birth to a daughter, whom the young parents dedicated to God. Continuing to live together in marriage, Melania secretly wore a hair shirt and spent her nights in prayer. The second child, a boy, was premature and had severe complications. They baptized him, and he departed to the Lord. the suffering of his wife, Apinianus asked the Lord to preserve Saint Melania’s life, and he vowed to spend the rest of their life together in chastity. Recovering, Saint Melania stopped wearing her beautiful clothing and jewelry. Soon their daughter also died. The parents of Saint Melania did not support the young couple’s desire to devote themselves to God. It was only when Saint Melania’s father became deathly ill, that he asked their forgiveness and permitted them to follow their chosen path, asking them to pray for him. saints then left the city of Rome, and began a new life completely dedicated to the service of God. Apinianus at this time was twenty-four years of age, and Melania twenty. They began to visit the sick, to take in wanderers, and to help the indigent. They visited those who were exiled, and mine-convicts, and the destitute, there in debtor’s prison. After selling their estates in Italy and Spain, they generously helped monasteries, hospitals, widows and orphans in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia, and Palestine. churches and hospitals were built with their assistance. Churches of both West and East benefited from them. Leaving their native land, they set sail for Africa, and a strong storm arose while they were at sea. The sailors said that this was because of the wrath of God, but Saint Melania said that it was not God’s will that they should go directly to their destination. waves carried the ship to an island on which barbarians had landed. The besiegers demanded a ransom from the inhabitants, or else they threatened to lay waste the city. The saints supplied the necessary ransom, and thus saved the city and its people from destruction. their voyage, they landed in Africa and helped all the needy there. With the blessing of the local bishops, they made offerings to churches and monasteries. During this time Saint Melania continued to humble her flesh by strict fasting, and she fortified her soul by constantly reading the Word of God, making copies of the sacred books and distributing them to those who lacked them. She sewed a hairshirt for herself, put it on, and continued to wear it. saints spent seven years in Carthage, and then decided to visit Jerusalem. At Alexandria, they were welcomed by the bishop, Saint Cyril, and they met in church with the holy Elder Nestorius, who was possessed of the gift of prophecy and healing. The Elder turned to them and told them to have courage and patience in expectation of the Glory of Heaven. Jerusalem, the saints distributed their remaining gold to the destitute and then spent their days in poverty and prayer. After a short visit to Egypt, where the saints visited many of the desert Fathers, Saint Melania secluded herself in a cell on the Mount of Olives. Only occasionally did she see Saint Apinianus. she founded a monastery, where eventually ninety virgins lived in obedience to Saint Melania. Out of humility, she would not consent to be abbess, and lived and prayed in solitude as before. In her instructions, Saint Melania urged the sisters to be vigilant and to pray, to disdain their own opinions and cultivate first of all love for God and for one another, to keep the holy Orthodox Faith, and to guard their purity of soul and of body. particular, she exhorted them to be obedient to the will of God. Calling to mind the words of the Apostle Paul, she counselled them to keep the fasts “not with wailing, nor from compulsion, but in virtuous disposition with love for God”. her efforts an oratory and altar were built in the monastery, where they enshrined the relics of saints: the Prophet Zachariah, the holy Protomartyr Stephen, and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. About this time Saint Apinianus fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Melania buried his relics and there spent another four years in fasting and unceasing prayer. Melania wanted to build a men’s monastery on the Mount of the Ascension of the Lord. The Lord blessed her intent by sending a benefactor who provided the means for the monastery. Joyfully accepting it, Saint Melania finished the great work in a single year. In this monastery, saintly men began to lift up unceasing prayer in the church of the Ascension of Christ. completed her tasks, the saint left Jerusalem for Constantinople, hoping to save the soul of her pagan uncle Volusianus who had traveled there from Rome. Along the way she prayed at the relics of Saint Laurence (August 10), at the place of his martyrdom, and received auspicious signs. Arriving in Constantinople, the saint found her uncle had fallen ill. Her demeanor and her inspired discourses had a profound influence on the sick man. He gave up pagan impiety and died a Christian. this time many inhabitants of the capital were deceived by the heretical teaching of Nestorius. Saint Melania accepted anyone who turned to her for proper explanation, converting many of them to Orthodoxy. Many miracles were worked through the prayers of the saint. to her own monastery, the saint sensed the approach of death, and told this to the priest and the sisters. They listened to her final instructions with deep sorrow and with tears. Having asked their prayers and commanding them to preserve themselves in purity, she received the Holy Mysteries with joy. Saint Melania peacefully gave up her soul to the Lord in the year 439.

Constantinople, 406-425, Patriarch, Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople, Opposed J Chry, then
Constantinople Patriarch, 406-425, Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 408-450, Emperor, Theodosius II, Younger, Eastern half, T Law Code, 2 heresies, University, Walls
Byzantine Emperor, 408-450, Theodosius II the Younger ; II (10 April 401 – 28 July 450), commonly called Theodosius the Younger[2] or the Calligrapher, was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed augustus as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his father Arcadius in 408. His reign was marked by the promulgation of the Theodosian law code and the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He also presided over the outbreak of two great Christological controversies, Nestorianism and Eutychianism Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated August 2 ; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus, Commemorated on August 2; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14; 7 Holy Youths œSeven SleepersÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Constantinople, 412-444, Egyptian Patriarch, Cyril of Alexandria, C of Ephesus 431, anti Nestor, Novat and Jew
Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire. wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the late-4th and 5th centuries. was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431, which led to the deposition of Nestorius as Patriarch of Constantinople. is counted among the Church Fathers and also as a Doctor of the Church, and his reputation within the Christian world has resulted in his titles Pillar of Faith and Seal of all the Fathers. Roman Emperor Theodosius II, however, condemned him for behaving like a "proud pharaoh", and the Nestorian bishops at their synod at the Council of Ephesus declared him a heretic, labelling him as a "monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church."[1] is well known for his dispute with Nestorius and his supporter Patriarch John of Antioch whom Cyril excluded from the Council of Ephesus for arriving late. is also known for his expulsion of Novatians and Jews from Alexandria and for inflaming tensions that led to the murder of the Hellenistic philosopher Hypatia by a Christian mob. Historians disagree over the extent of his responsibility in this. tried to oblige the pious Christian emperor Theodosius II (AD 408-450) to himself by dedicating his Paschal table to him.[2] It is also important to note that Cyril's Paschal table was provided with a Metonic basic structure in the form of a Metonic 19-year lunar cycle adopted by him around AD 425, which was very different from the first Metonic 19-year lunar cycle invented around AD 260 by Anatolius, but exactly equal to the similar lunar cycle which had been introduced around AD 412 by Annianus; the julian equivalent of this Alexandrian lunar cycle adopted by Cyril and nowadays referred to as the 'classical (Alexandrian) 19-year lunar cycle' would only much later emerge again: a century later in Rome as the basic structure of Dionysius Exiguus’ Paschal table (AD 525) and two more centuries later in England as the one of Beda's Easter table (AD 725).[3] Catholic Church did not commemorate Saint Cyril in the Tridentine Calendar: it added his feast only in 1882, assigning to it the date of 9 February. This date is used by the Western Rite Orthodox Church. Yet the 1969 Catholic Calendar revision moved it to 27 June, considered to be the day of the saint's death, as celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church.[4] The same date has been chosen for the Lutheran calendar. The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches celebrate his feast day on 9 June and also, together with Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria, on 18 January. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose). 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Byzantium, 414-453, Empress, Pulcheria, Theodosius' sister, Virgin, significant influence, ecumenical councils
Byzantine Emperess, 414-453, Pulcheria ; Pulcheria (19 January 398 or 399 – July 453)[1] was an empress who advised her brother Theodosius II during his minority and then became wife to Marcian from November 450 to her death in 453. was the second (and oldest surviving) child of Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia. In 414, the fifteen-year old Pulcheria became the chief guardian of her younger brother Theodosius II[2] and was also proclaimed "augusta". had significant, though changing, influence and political power during her brother's reign. When Theodosius II died on 26 July 450, Pulcheria married Marcian on 25 November 450, while simultaneously not violating her vow of virginity. She died three years later, in July 453. greatly influenced the Christian Church and its theological development by guiding two of the most important ecumenical councils in ecclesiastical history, namely those of Ephesus and Chalcedon, in which the Church ruled on christological issues. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church subsequently recognized her as a saint.[3] 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 415, Gamaliel appeared to priest Lucian, Steven, Gamaliel and Nicodemos' relics
Byzantium, 415, Gamaliel appeared to priest Lucian, St Paul's instructor, Steven, Gamaliel and Nicodemos' relics Gamaliel's Home in Yavne, Way of the Sea 6, Palestine; Jamnia, 1 Maccabees Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 15; Finding of the relics of Saint Gamaliel, Commemorated on August 2; Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a doctor of the Law (Acts 5:34), and the teacher of Saint Paul (Acts 22:3). the year 415, Saint Gamaliel appeared to a priest named Lucian. He was a tall, venerable man with a long white beard. He was dressed in white clothing which was edged with gold and marked with crosses, and held a gold wand in his hand. called Father Lucian by name three times, then told him to go to Jerusalem and inform Bishop John to open the tomb where his relics and those of other saints were resting. The priest asked the stranger who he was. “I am Gamaliel, who instructed the apostle Paul in the Law,” he replied. Then he told the priest where to find the relics of Saint Stephen. He also revealed that he had taken Saint Stephen’s body and laid it in his own tomb after it had been lying exposed for a day and a night. Gamaliel also mentioned that Saint Νikόdēmos was buried at the same spot. “I received him into my house in the country,” he said, “and maintained him there until the end of his life. After his death, I buried him honorably near Stephen.” Gamaliel informed the priest that he and his twenty-year-old son Abibas were also buried there. Father Lucian was afraid to believe this vision right away, lest it be a temptation from the Evil One. However, when Saint Gamaliel appeared again and commanded him to obey his instructions, he did so. monk named Migetius also had a vision of Saint Gamaliel and told Father Lucian to search for the relics in a place called Debatalia. When the relics were uncovered, an ineffable fragrance was noticed. relics of Saints Stephen, Gamaliel, Abibas, and Νikόdēmos were transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople in 428 and placed in the church of the holy deacon Laurence (August 10).

Byzantium, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint, hellenic writer
Jerusalem, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint; Eudocia Augusta (c. 401-460 AD), also called Saint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Theodosius II (r. 402–450). lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity existed side by side, with both pagans and non-orthodox Christians being persecuted.[1] life Eudocia was born circa 400 in Athens into a family of Greek descent.[2][3][4][5][6] father, a Greek philosopher named Leontius,[5][6][7] taught rhetoric at the Academy of Athens, where people from all over the Mediterranean came to either teach or learn. given name was Athenais, chosen by her parents in honour of the city's protector, the pagan goddess Pallas Athena.[8] father was rich and had a magnificent house on the Acropolis with a large courtyard in which young Athenais frequently played as a child.[8] Athenais was 12 years old, her mother died and she became her father's comfort, taking on the responsibilities of household chores, raising her siblings and tending to her father. She had two brothers, Gessius and Valerius, who would later receive honours at court from their sister and brother-in-law. In return for her household activities, her father spent time giving her a thorough training in rhetoric, literature and philosophy. taught her the Socratic virtue of knowledge of moderation, and predicted that she would have a great destiny.[9] had a gift for memorisation, and easily learned the poetry of Homer and Pindar, which her father would recite to her. Both as a teacher and a role model, he had a great impact on her, prepared her for her destiny and influenced the literary work she created after she became Empress. he died in 420, she was devastated. In his will, he left all his property to her brothers, with only 100 coins reserved for her, saying that sufficient for her is her destiny, which will be the greatest of any woman.[9] had been her father's confidante and had expected more than this meager 100-coin inheritance. She begged her brothers to be fair and give her an equal share of their father's property, but they refused. after her father's death, at the age of 20, Athenais went to live with her aunt, who advised her to go to Constantinople and "ask for justice from the Emperor", confident she would receive her fair share of her father's wealth.[10] as an empress coin depicting a portrait of Aelia Eudocia, 425–429 AD. has it that when Theodosius (b. 401) was 20 years old, he wanted to get married. He talked to his sister Pulcheria, who began to search for a maiden fit for her brother, that was of either "patrician or imperial blood."[11] His longtime childhood friend, Paulinus, also helped Theodosius in his search.[11] Emperor's search had begun fortuitously at the same time that Athenais had arrived in Constantinople. Pulcheria had heard about this young woman, who had only 100 coins to her name, and when she met her, she was "astonished at her beauty and at the intelligence and sophistication with which she presented her grievance."[11] Upon reporting back to her brother, she told him she had "found a young girl, a Greek maid, very beautiful, pure and dainty, eloquent as well, the daughter of a philosopher", and young Theodosius, who was full of desire, fell in love instantly.[11] had been raised pagan, and upon her marriage to Theodosius II converted to Christianity and was renamed Eudocia.[12] They were married on 7 June 421, and there were "reports that Theodosius celebrated his wedding with chariot races in the hippodrome".[13] Her brothers, who had rejected her after their father's death, fled since they were fearful of the punishment they thought they were going to receive when they learned that she became empress.[14] instead called them to Constantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them.[14] The emperor made Gessius praetorian prefect of Illyricum and made Valerius magister officiorum.[14] Both Gessius and Valerius were rewarded because Eudocia believed that their mistreatment of her was part of her destiny.[14] Theodosius also honoured his best friend, Paulinus, with the title of magister officiorum, for he had helped find his wife.[14] rags-to-riches story, though it claims to be authentic and is accepted among historians, leads one to believe that the tale may have been twisted due to the detail of how the romance was portrayed. The earliest version of this story appeared more than a century after Eudocia's death in the "World Chronicle" of John Malalas, "an author who did not always distinguish between authentic history and a popular memory of events infused with folk-tale motifs".[15] facts are that she was the daughter of Leontius and she did originally have the name Athenais, according to the contemporary historians Socrates of Constantinople, and Priscus of Panion; however, they leave out any mention of Pulcheria's role in playing match-maker for her brother.[13] The historians Sozomen and Theodoret did not include Eudocia in their respective historical works, perhaps because they wrote after 443 when Eudocia had fallen into disgrace.[15] Christianity with classical culture on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in spring of 438, Eudocia stopped in Antioch, and during her stay she addressed the senate of that city in Hellenic style (i.e., an encomium cast in Homeric hexameters) and distributed funds for the repair of its buildings.[6][16] was very conscious of her Greek heritage, as demonstrated in her famous address to the citizens of Antioch where she quoted a famous line by Homer: (Of your proud line and blood I claim to be).[6][16][17][18] last words of Eudocia's oration brought loud acclaim from the listeners, which resulted in the citizens of Antioch celebrating the Empress Eudocia's Christian Hellenism and commemorating her by erecting a golden statue of her in the curia and a bronze statue in the museum.[17][18][19] On her return, her position was undermined by the jealousy of Pulcheria and the groundless suspicion of an intrigue with her protege, Paulinus, the master of the offices.[20] historical study Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (1982) by Kenneth Holum, further introduced the suggestion that her father, Leontius, was a native of Antioch rather than Athens, drawing from the "traditional link" between the two cities and their philosophers. argument is considered doubtful as the building activity of Eudocia in the 420s focused on Athens rather than Antioch.[21] Holum suggests that Eudocia may have been named after the great city of Athens, but she would have been born in Antioch. She even convinced her husband to "extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb".[22] she also influenced state policy towards pagans and Jews under her husband's reign, and used the powerful influence she had to protect them from persecution.[22] also advocated for "reorganization and expansion" of education in Constantinople.[23] Eudocia had been raised and educated in traditional and classical sophist education from Athens, but her goal was to blend classical pagan education with Christianity. This was her way of using her power as empress to honour teachers and education, something that was very important to her in her life. also built the original Church of St. Polyeuctus in Constantinople, which her great-granddaughter Anicia Juliana greatly expanded and furnished in the 6th century. had three children with Theodosius II.[24][25] Licinia Eudoxia, born in 422, was the oldest. Licinia Eudoxia had been betrothed to her cousin, the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III since her birth, whom she married on 29 October 437.[26] The second child, Flaccilla, died in 431.[24] Arcadius was the only son and died in infancy. Only a year after she gave birth to her first child, Eudocia was proclaimed Augusta by her husband on 2 January 423.[27] to Jerusalem (438–439) mosaic depicting Eudocia in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria. being named Augusta, she succeeded her sister-in-law, Pulcheria, who had been Augusta since 414. The relationship between the two women consisted of rivalry over power. Eudocia was jealous over the amount of power Pulcheria had within the court, while Pulcheria was jealous of the power Eudocia could claim from her. Their relationship created a "pious atmosphere" in the imperial court, and probably explains why Eudocia travelled to the Holy Land in 438.[28] went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 438, bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.[24] Her relationship with her husband had deteriorated, and with much pleading from Melania, a wealthy widow from Palestine and good friend of Eudocia, Theodosius allowed her to go.[29] 443, Eudocia left the palace for reasons that cannot be fully ascertained. One rumor has it that Eudocia was banished from the court towards the latter part of her life for adultery. Theodosius suspected that she was having an affair with his long-time childhood friend and court advisor, Paulinus.[24] According to Malalas's account of this story, Theodosius II had given Eudocia a very large Phrygian apple as a gift. One day Paulinus had shown the emperor the same apple, not knowing that the emperor had given it to Eudocia as a gift. Theodosius recognized the apple and confronted Eudocia who had sworn she had eaten it. Eudocia's denials made the emperor believe that she had fallen in love with Paulinus and was having an affair, and had given his best friend the same apple he had given to her as a symbol of his love. Theodosius had Paulinus executed and Eudocia, embarrassed, decided to leave the court in 443.[16] the other hand, Marcellinus' version suggests intrigues of Theodosius and Eudocia against each other: on Theodosius' orders, comes domesticorum Saturninus killed two allies of the empress, and in revenge, she went on to have Saturninus assassinated.[contradictory] Theodosius subsequently deprived Eudocia of her royal attendants, prompting her to leave the palace.[30] Whatever the cause of her departure may be, she still retained her wealth and the title Augusta. Jerusalem (443–460) returned to Jerusalem in circa 443, where she lived for the last part of her life. In Jerusalem she focused on her writing. Here she was accused of the murder of an officer sent to kill two of her followers,[contradictory] for which she suffered the loss of her imperial staff;[12] she nevertheless retained great influence. involved in the revolt of the Syriac Monophysites (453), she was ultimately reconciled to Pulcheria and readmitted into the Orthodox Church. died an Orthodox Christian in Jerusalem on 20 October 460,[2] having devoted her last years to literature.[20] She was buried in Jerusalem in the Church of Saint Stephen,[31] one of the churches she had herself built in Jerusalem[32] (modern St. Stephen's Basilica now stands at the site). The empress never returned to the imperial court in Constantinople, but "she maintained her imperial dignity and engaged in substantial euergetistic programs."[33] work Eudocia. Colored stone inlay on marble from church of Lips monastery (Fenari Isa Mosque), Fatih, Istanbul. Archeological Museum. after her accession as an empress, Eudocia wrote a hexameter poem eulogizing the Roman performance in the Persian wars of 421–22. The work is now lost. While Eudocia could have written a lot of literature after leaving the court, only some of her work survived. Eudocia "wrote in hexameters, which is the verse of epic poetry, on Christian themes".[24] She wrote a poem entitled The Martyrdom of St. Cyprian in three books, of which 900 lines survived, and an inscription of a poem on the baths at Hamat Gader.[24] Her most studied piece of literature is her Homeric cento, which has been analyzed recently by a few modern scholars, such as Mark Usher and Brian Sowers. Eudocia is an understudied poet and has been neglected due to "lack of complete and authoritative text".[34] of St. Cyprian are three books (or volumes) to this epic poem, which tells the story of how "Justa, the Christian virgin, defeated the magician Cyprian through her faith in God. Cyprian had been hired by Aglaidas to force Justa to love him. It ends with the conversion of Cyprian, his swift rise to the rank of Bishop, and Justa becoming a deaconess, with the new name, Justina."[35] She later became known as Justina of Antioch. This story is all fiction, although the parallels between Eudocia's character Justa and Eudocia herself are interesting, as both of them converted to Christianity and changed their names upon succeeding to power. Although some of the text has been lost, most of it has been paraphrased by Photius. The poem is very long despite not all of it surviving the centuries, and can be found in Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome (2004) edited by Michael Ian Plant. The Hamat Gader poem poem inscribed on the baths at Hamat Gader was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read it as they went into the pool. inscription of the poem I have seen many wonders in my life, countless, But who, noble Clibanus, however many his mouths, could proclaim Your might, when born a worthless mortal? But rather It is right for you to be called a new fiery ocean, Paean and parent, provider of sweet streams. From you the thousandfold swell is born, one here, one there, On this side boiling-hot, on that side in turn icy-cold and tepid. Into fountains four-fold four you pour out your beauty. Indian and Matrona, Repentius, holy Elijah, Antoninus the Good, Dewy Galatia, and Hygieia herself, warm baths both large and small, Pearl, ancient Clibanus, Indian and other Matrona, Strong, Nun, and the Patriarch's. For those in pain your powerful might is always everlasting. But I will sing of a god, renowned for wisdom For the benefit of speaking mortals. — [36] line "Of the Empress Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem. This title line was added after the carving of the main inscription, making room for some doubt whether the poem was indeed authored by Eudocia. Clibanus is the name given to the source of the hot water. After praising his qualities and those of his many springs ("the thousandfold swell"), the poem enumerates "four-fold four", thus sixteen different parts of the bath complex, fourteen of which bear a name; these names include Hygieia (the pagan goddess of health), a whole range of pagan personal names, "holy Elijah" referring to the prophet, and two refer to Christians – a nun and a patriarch.[37] centos Homeric centos that Eudocia composed are her most popular poems, as well as those most analyzed by modern scholars, because Homer was a popular choice on which to write a cento. Eudocia's centos are the longest Homeric centos, and consist of 2,344 lines.[35] These centos are a clear representation of who Eudocia was, and what she believed in—an epic poem combining her Athenian classical educational background, but adding stories from the book of Genesis and the New Testament stories of the life of Jesus Christ. Usher analyzed this poem as a way to understand why Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a means to express her biblical interpretations. According to Usher, Eudocia needed to convey human experience relating to the Bible. She used themes from the Iliad and Odyssey because "they contained all Eudocia needed to tell the Gospel story. Whenever and wherever Eudocia needed to express greatness, pain, truthfulness, deceit, beauty, suffering, mourning, recognition, understanding, fear, or astonishment, there was an apt Homeric line or passage ready in her memory to be recalled."[38] Eudocia's Homeric poetry is essential to understanding her as a Christian woman in the Eastern Roman Empire, and understanding her role as empress. Her classical educational background is clearly seen in her poetry, which captures her literary talent. She made a point to connect her background love for studying classical Greek literature to her Christian beliefs. is regarded as saint in non-Protestant Christianity. Her feast day is 13 August. plot of Antonio Vivaldi's opera Atenaide is based on the courtship and marriage of Eudocia and Theodosius. is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[39][40] Jerusalem, 420-457, Patriarch, Theodosius of Jerusalem, head of the heretics; (died 457) was one of the leading Christian monks of Palestine opposed to the Council of Chalcedon (451). He was installed as bishop of Jerusalem in opposition Juvenal in 451 or 452, but was forced into exile by the emperor Marcian in 453.[1][2] about his life comes mainly from the works of John Rufus. These include a biography of Peter the Iberian and a narration of Theodosius' exile and death, the Narratio de obitu Theodosii Hierosolymitani. The latter is a short text known only from the Syriac version in two manuscripts.[3] Rufus describes Theodosius as a confessor and martyr.[4] A complementary anti-Chalcedonian Syriac account is found in Pseudo-Zacharias Rhetor.[5] A Chalcedonian version of events is given in Cyril of Scythopolis' biography of Euthymius the Great.[2] Juvenal returned to Jerusalem from Chalcedon in 451, many monks and clergy tried to persuade him to recant his acceptance of the council's canons. When he refused, they elected Theodosius as bishop in opposition and Juvenal fled.[5] Theodosius consecrated many anti-Chalcedonian bishops, including Peter the Iberian in the diocese of Maiuma.[2] When Juvenal returned with imperial troops in August 453, there were briefly two active bishops in the city.[6] Theodosius, however, accepted a sentence of exile and did not fight.[2] The bishops he consecrated, except for Peter, were deposed.[7] first went to Egypt or perhaps Sinai.[4] He then went to Antioch, perhaps to secure the support of Symeon Stylites, but was arrested at the city gates. On the orders of Marcian, he was brought to Constantinople. When he refused Marcian's entreaties to accept Chalcedon, he was imprisoned in the monastery of Saint Dios. When the abbot of that house was unable to win him over, he moved him to a narrow unheated cell for the winter. Theodosius fell seriously ill. When Leo I succeeded Marcian, he turned Theodosius over to the custody of the anti-Chalcedonian monks of Sykai. The deposed bishop died only a few days later.[8] His body was taken to Cyprus to prevent the Chalcedonians from stealing it to claim he had changed his mind. It was buried in an anti-Chalcedonian monastery.[4] The Narratio records that Theodosius' companion, Abban Romanus, was recalled to Palestine after his death.[3] the Coptic Orthodox Church, Theodosius was remembered as a champion of orthodoxy against Chalcedonism. Two works are attributed to him, but both are late Coptic forgeries. The first, In Honor of Victor, is a biography of the martyr Victor Stratelates. It is a poorly written text describing the virtues of Victor and the miracles he performed at Jerusalem. It is preserved in a codex from the White Monastery. The second, The Miracles of Saint George, is a homily on the miracles of Saint George, mostly surrounding the construction of his shrine in Jaffa.[2] Jerusalem Patriarch, 420-458, Juvenal; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; Repentence) The saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, occupied the throne of the Holy City during the years 420-458. During this period great luminaries of the Church enlightened the world: Saints Euthymius the Great (January 20), Simeon the Stylite (September 1), Gerasimus of Jordan (March 4), and many others. Juvenal was a friend and converser with Saint Euthymius the Great. During Saint Juvenal’s archpastoral service, the Eastern Church was troubled by dangerous false teachings, which he opposed with a pastoral zeal, safeguarding the flock of Christ. Third Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431. It condemned the heresy of Nestorius, which was opposed to the Orthodox teaching of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9) presided at this Council, and among his colleagues was Patriarch Juvenal. 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Eutchian [Monophysite] heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally swallowed up and absorbed by the divine nature. The holy Fathers, among them Saint Juvenal, condemned the heresy of Eutychius and affirmed the Orthodox doctrine of the union of two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture. The heretics, however, continued to confuse the minds of Christians. the head of the heretics stood Theodosius, who lived at Jerusalem, and who had won over to his side Eudokia, the widow of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (+ 450), who lived at Jerusalem. He demanded that Patriarch Juvenal repudiate the Council of Chalcedon, that is, that he should renounce the Orthodox dogma of the two natures in Christ. Juvenal would not agree to embrace falsehood, and bravely confessed the Chalcedon doctrine before the heretics. Theodosius and his adherents then deposed Patriarch Juvenal from the patriarchal throne. The saint withdrew to Constantinople, to Patriarch Anatolius (July 3) and the emperor Marcian. The heretic Theodosius, under the patronage of Eudokia, occupied the patriarchal throne in Palestine, but only for twenty months. Emperor Marcian, holding Saint Juvenal in high esteem, placed him on the patriarchal throne once more, and so the holy confessor returned to Jerusalem. saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years.

Constantinople, 420-480, Daniel t Stylite, Samosata, Armenia, Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, Thrace w
Syria, 420-480, Daniel the Stylite, Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), mother dedicated him, after 5 yrs received name, left for manastery at 12, angelic garb, Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, ascetic life, S place vision, Thrace wilderness, on p 33 yrs, healing, prayers for B Emperors, great fire prophecy, gracious words, 80 yrs; Samosata; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Daniel the Stylite was born in the village of Bethara, near the city of Samosata in Mesopotamia. mother Martha was childless for a long while and in her prayers she vowed that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayers were heard, and Martha soon gave birth to a son, who was without a name until he was five years of age. boy’s parents desired that since he was born through the good-will of God, he should also receive his name from God. took their son to a monastery located nearby and approached the igumen. The igumen gave orders to take down one of the service books, and unrolled it at random. He found the Prophet Daniel (December 17) mentioned in it. Thus did the boy receive his name. parents asked that he might remain at the monastery, but the igumen would not accept him, since he was still only a small boy. At twelve years of age, saying nothing to anyone, the child left home for the monastery. parents were happy when they learned where their son was, and they went to the monastery. Seeing that he was still going about in his worldly clothes, they besought that the igumen should clothe him in the angelic garb. That Sunday the igumen fulfilled their request, but permitted them often to visit their son. The brethren of the monastery were astonished at the saint’s ascetical efforts. Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1) visited the monastery. He foretold to the young monk that he too would undertake the feat of pillar-dwelling. Daniel continued with his ascetic life in seclusion. the place of a new exploit was revealed to him in a vision, he withdrew into the Thracian wilderness together with two disciples. They set up a pillar, upon which Saint Daniel dwelt for 33 years. thronged to the pillar, the unfortunate and those who were sick, and all received help and healing from Saint Daniel. emperors also sought the prayers of the holy ascetic. most notable of the saint’s predictions was about a great fire in Constantinople. Saint Daniel possessed also the gift of gracious words. He guided many onto the path of correcting their lives. The monk reposed in his eightieth year.

Byzantium, 423-455, Emperor, Valentian III, Western half, weak, dominated by generals, civil wars, Atilla
Byzantine Emperor, 423-455, Valentian III ; III (Latin: Placidus Valentinianus; 2 July 419 – 16 March 455) was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying for power amid civil wars and the invasions of Late Antiquity's Migration Period, including the campaigns of Attila the Hun. was the son of Galla Placidia and Constantius III, and as the great-grandson of Valentinian the Great (r. 364–375) he was the last emperor of the Valentinianic dynasty. As a grandson of Theodosius the Great (r. 379–395), Valentinian was also related to the Theodosian dynasty, to which his wife, Licinia Eudoxia, also belonged. A year before assuming the rank of augustus, Valentinian was given the imperial rank of caesar by his half-cousin and co-emperor Theodosius II (r. 402–450). The augusta Galla Placidia had great influence during her son's rule. During his early reign Aetius, Felix, and the comes africae, Bonifacius all competed for power within the western empire. Eventually Aetius would defeat Felix and Bonifacius. Aetius would go on to campaign against the many Germanic tribes invading the empire. Valentinian's reign the Huns invaded the Roman Empire. Eventually Aetius would defeat the Huns at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. Once the Huns returned, Pope Leo I and two other senators convinced Attila to leave. Valentinian himself killed Aetius, and in response Aetius's bodyguards assassinated Valentinian. Valentinian's reign was marked by the ongoing collapse of the western empire. Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10;

Byzantium, 423-455, Empress, Honoraria, V III's sister, promiscuous, loved Attila, so he claimed empire
Rome, 423-455, Emperess, Honoraria; Grata Honoria, commonly referred to during her lifetime as Honoria,[1] was the older sister of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III. She is famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, which led to his proclamation of his claim to rule the Western Roman Empire. Coins attest that she was granted the title of Augusta not long after the accession of her brother in 426.[2] Roman Emperor, 423-455, Valentinian III; St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 426-427, Patriarch, Sisinius, virtues, piety, charity, 4 month recession because of Chrysostom
Constantinople Patriarch, 426-427, Sisinius ; I (died December 24, 427) was the Archbishop of Constantinople from 426 to 427.[1] the election, Sisinnius was priest in the area of Elaea (modern-day Cihangir) and had become known for his virtues and piety, as well as for acts of charity. the death of Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople, the patriarch's throne was vacant for some time, as there was controversy about the choice of a successor. According to the dominant view, this period was about four months and ended with the election of Sisinnius on February 426. the consecration and its establishment, the Emperor Theodosius II convened a meeting chaired by the Theodotus of Antioch. the days of the patriarch was in recession the question of the attitude of the followers of John Chrysostom, which occurred when he was exiled. St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ;

Constantinople, 428-431, Patriarch, Nestorius and Nestorianism
Constantinople Patriarch, 428-431, Nestorius ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21;

Constantinople, 431, Third Ecumenical Council, Ephesus, condemned Nestorius and his Christotokos, confirmed Theotokos
Third Ecumenical Council ; Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom,[1] confirmed the original Nicene Creed,[2] and condemned the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who held that the Virgin Mary may be called the Christotokos, "Christ-bearer" but not the Theotokos, "God-bearer". It met in June and July 431 at the Church of Mary in Ephesus in Anatolia. Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

Constantinople, 431-434, Patriarch, Maximian, pure and virtuous, ordained by Sisinius, replaced Nestorius
Constantinople Patriarch, 431-434, Maximian ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Maximian, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born in Rome from wealthy and pious parents. Upon receiving his inheritance, he provided tombs to bury those who led holy lives. Maximian was a plain man and he preferred to live far from worldly vanity. Because of his pure and virtuous life, Patriarch Sisinius of Constantinople (426-427) ordained him presbyter. When the heretic Nestorius (428-431) was deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople, Saint Maximian replaced him on the patriarchal throne on October 25, 431, during the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450). holy Patriarch Maximian died peacefully on April 12, 434, on Great and Holy Thursday.

Constantinople, 434-446, Patriarch, Proclus of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry
Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, from his early years devoted all his time to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. Lord granted him the great good fortune to be a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), who at first ordained him as a deacon, and then to the holy priesthood. witnessed the appearance of the Apostle Paul to Saint John Chrysostom. Saint Proclus received from his teacher a profound understanding of Holy Scripture, and learned to elucidate his thoughts in a polished form. the exile and death of Saint John Chrysostom, the holy Patriarch of Constantinople Sisinius (426-427) consecrated Saint Proclus as bishop of the city of Kyzikos, but under the influence of Nestorian heretics he was expelled by his flock there. Proclus then returned to the capital and preached the Word of God in the churches of Constantinople, strengthening listeners in the Orthodox Faith and denouncing the impiety of the heretics. once preached a sermon before Nestorius in which he fearlessly defended the title “Theotokosâ€ in speaking of the holy Virgin. the death of the Patriarch Saint Sisinius, Saint Proclus was chosen to take his place. Having thus been made Patriarch of Constantinople, he guided the Church over the course of twelve years (434-447). By the efforts of Saint Proclus, the relics of Saint John Chrysostom were transferred from Comana to Constantinople in the time of the holy emperor Saint Theodosius II (408-450). Saint Proclus was Patriarch, the Empire suffered destructive earthquakes, lasting for several months. At Bithynia, in the Hellespont, and in Phrygia cities were devastated, rivers disappeared from the face of the earth, and terrible flooding occurred in previously dry places. people of Constantinople came out of the city with the patriarch and emperor at their head and offered prayers for an end to the unprecedented calamities. one prayer service, a boy from the crowd was snatched up into the air by an unseen force and carried up to such a height that he was no longer to be seen by human eyes. Then, whole and unharmed, the child was lowered to the ground and he reported that he heard and he saw the angels glorifying God singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.â€ the people began to sing this Trisagion Prayer, adding to it the refrain, “Have mercy on us!â€ Then the earthquakes stopped. The Orthodox Church sings still this prayer at divine services to this very day. Constantinople flock esteemed their Patriarch for his ascetic life, for his concern about the downtrodden, and for his preaching. works of the saint have survived to the present day. Best known are his discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, and four tracts on the Nativity of Christ, setting forth the Orthodox teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. The activity of the holy patriarch in establishing decorum in all the church affairs gained him universal esteem. Surrounded by love and respect, Saint Proclus departed to the Lord after serving as Patriarch for twenty years. St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18;

Constantinople, 434-446, Devastating Earthquakes, boy lifted up, Trisagion Prayer
Constantinople, 434-446, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20;

Constantinople, 438, Translation Chrysostom relics, Comana, Armenia to Constantinople, due to Proclus' homily at Hagia Sophia
Armenia, 438, Translation relics of Chrysostom, Comana, Armenia to Constantinople, due to Proclus' homily at Hagia Sophia after 30 yrs.; Comana (Cappadocia); Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; John Chrysostom, the great ecumenical teacher and hierarch, died in the city of Comana in the year 407 on his way to a place of exile. He had been condemned by the intrigues of the empress Eudoxia because of his daring denunciation of the vices of those ruling over Constantinople. The transfer of his venerable relics was made in the year 438, thirty years after the death of the saint, during the reign of Eudoxia’s son emperor Theodosius II (408-450). John Chrysostom had the warm love and deep respect of the people, and grief over his untimely death lived on in the hearts of Christians. Saint John’s disciple, Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople (434-447), during services in the Church of Hagia Sophia, preached a sermon praising Saint John. He said, “O John, your life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint.” who were present in church, deeply touched by the words of Saint Proclus, did not allow him even to finish his sermon. With one accord they began to entreat the Patriarch to intercede with the emperor, so that the relics of Saint John might be brought back to Constantinople. emperor, overwhelmed by Saint Proclus, gave his consent and gave the order to transfer the relics of Saint John. But those he sent were unable to lift the holy relics until the emperor realized that he had sent men to take the saint’s relics from Comana with an edict, instead of with a prayer. He wrote a letter to Saint John, humbly asking him to forgive his audacity, and to return to Constantinople. After the message was read at the grave of Saint John, they easily took up the relics, carried them onto a ship and arrived at Constantinople. coffin with the relics was placed in the Church of Holy Peace (Hagia Eirene). When Patriarch Proclus opened the coffin, the body of Saint John was found to be incorrupt. The emperor approached the coffin with tears, asking forgiveness for his mother, who had banished Saint John. All day and night people did not leave the coffin. the morning the coffin was brought to the Church of the Holy Apostles. The people cried out, “Father, take up your throne.” Then Patriarch Proclus and the clergy standing by the relics saw Saint John open his mouth and say, “Peace be to all.” Many of the sick were healed at his tomb. celebration of the transfer of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom was established in the ninth century.

Constantinople, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea, Cenobiarch, from Cappadocia, Armenia
Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30;

Constantinople, 446-449, Patriarch, Archbishop Flavian, excommunicated Eutyches, Robber Council, beaten by Dioscorus
Constantinople Patriarch, 446-449, Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18; Flavian the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, occupied the patriarchal throne of Constantinople under the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) and his sister the holy Empress Pulcheria (September 10). first he was a presbyter and caretaker of church-vessels in the cathedral. He became Patriarch after the death of holy Patriarch Proclus (November 20). During this time, various disturbances and heresies threatened church unity. the year 448, Saint Flavian convened a local Council at Constantinople to examine the heresy of Eutyches, which admitted only one nature (the divine) in the Lord Jesus Christ. Persisting in his error, the heretic Eutyches was excommunicated from the Church and deprived of dignity, but Eutyches had a powerful patron in the person of Chrysathios, a eunuch close to the emperor. intrigue Chrysathios brought Bishop Dioscorus of Alexandria over to the side of Eutyches, and obtained permission from the emperor to convene a church council at Ephesus, afterwards known as the “Robber Council.” presided at this council, gaining the acquittal of Eutyches and the condemnation of Patriarch Flavian by threats and force. Saint Flavian was fiercely beaten up during the sessions of this council by impudent monks led by a certain Barsumas. the impious president of the Robber Council, the heretic Dioscorus, took part in these beatings. After this heavy chains were put upon Saint Flavian, and he was sentenced to banishment at Ephesus. The Lord, however, ended his further suffering, by sending him his death (+ August 449). The holy Empress Pulcheria withdrew from the imperial court. Soon the intrigues of Chrysathios were revealed. The emperor dismissed him, and restored his sister Saint Pulcheria. Through her efforts, the relics of holy Patriarch Flavian were reverently transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 449-458, Patriarch, Anatolius of Constantinople, 451 Council, Orthodox, Euphemia's scroll choice
Constantinople Patriarch, 449-458, Anatolius of Constantinople; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

Constantinople, 450, Martyr Anthony, Apamea, stone mason building church, killed by townspeople at night w sword
Syria, 450, Martyr Anthony, Apamea; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9 ; Holy Martyr Anthony, a Syrian, lived during the fifth century and was a stone-mason. With the blessing of the bishop of the Syrian city of Apamea, he started to build a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. When the pagan townspeople learned of this, they rushed into his house by night and murdered him with a sword.

Constantinople, 450, Seven Sleepers, 250-450, wealthy, m belts, hid in cave, entrance sealed, sleep, owner resurection
Ephesus, 250, Seven Sleepers; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the third century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. The youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. The seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. During the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. The Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. Going into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Byzantium, 450-457, Emperor, Marcian, pious, married Emperor's sister Pulcheria, d Huns Atilla
Byzantine Emperor, 450-457, Marcian ; ( c. 392 – 26 January 457) was Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457. little of his life before becoming emperor is known, other than that he was a domesticus (personal assistant) who served under the commanders Ardabur and his son Aspar for fifteen years. After the death of Emperor Theodosius II on 28 July 450, Marcian was made a candidate for the throne by Aspar, who held much influence because of his military power. a month of negotiations Pulcheria, Theodosius' sister, agreed to marry Marcian. Flavius Zeno, a military leader whose influence was similar to Aspar's, may have been involved in these negotiations, as he was given the high-ranking court title of patrician upon Marcian's accession. was elected and inaugurated on 25 August 450. reversed many of the actions of Theodosius II in the Eastern Roman Empire's relationship with the Huns under Attila and in religious matters. almost immediately revoked all treaties with Attila, ending all subsidy payments to him. 452, while Attila was raiding Italy, then a part of the Western Roman Empire, Marcian launched expeditions across the Danube into the Great Hungarian Plain, defeating the Huns in their own heartland. This action, accompanied by the famine and plague that broke out in northern Italy, allowed the Western Roman Empire to bribe Attila into retreating from the Italian peninsula. Attila's death in 453, Marcian took advantage of the resulting fragmentation of the Hunnic confederation by settling Germanic tribes within Roman lands as foederati ("federates" providing military service in exchange for benefits). also convened the Council of Chalcedon, which declared that Jesus had two "natures": divine and human. This led to the alienation of the population of the eastern provinces of Syria and Egypt, as many of them were miaphysites, rejecting the new official Christology. died on 26 January 457, leaving the Eastern Roman Empire with a treasury surplus of seven million solidi coins, an impressive achievement considering the economic ruin inflicted upon the Eastern Roman Empire by the Huns and Theodosius' tribute payments. his death, Aspar passed over Marcian's son-in-law, Anthemius, and had a military commander, Leo I, elected as emperor. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; St Bassian of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 10 ; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the ÃƒœUnsleeping Ones, Commemorated on December 29; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 451-457, Proterius of Alexandria, Egyptian Patriarch, replaced Monophysite heretic Dioscorus
Egypt, 451-457, Egyptian Patriarch, Proterius of Alexandria; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Proterius, Patriarch of Alexandria, and those with him. The priest Proterius lived in Alexandria during the patriarchal tenure of Dioscorus (444-451), an adherent of the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches. Proterius fearlessly denounced the heretics and confessed the Orthodox Faith. 451 at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, the heresy of Eutyches was condemned and the teaching of Christ as Perfect God and Perfect Man, existing in these two natures “unconfusedly” and “indivisibly” [and “immutably” and “inseparably”] was set forth. The heretic Dioscorus was deposed and exiled, and Proterius, distinguished for his strict and virtuous life, was placed upon the patriarchal throne of Alexandria. many supporters of Dioscorus remained in Alexandria. Rebelling against the election of Proterius, they rioted and burned the soldiers who were sent out to pacify them. The pious emperor Marcian (450-457) deprived the Alexandrians of all the privileges they were accustomed to, and sent new and reinforced detachments of soldiers. The inhabitants of the city then quieted down and begged Patriarch Proterius to intercede with the emperor to restore their former privileges to them. The kindly saint consented and readily obtained their request. the death of Marcian the heretics again raised their heads. Presbyter Menignus (“the Cat”), himself striving for the patriarchal dignity, and taking advantage of the absence of the prefect of the city, was at the head of the rioters. Saint Proterius decided to leave Alexandria, but that night he saw in a dream the holy Prophet Isaiah, who said to him, “Return to the city, I am waiting to take you.” The saint realized that this was a prediction of his martyric end. He returned to Alexandria and concealed himself in a baptistry. insolent heretics broke into this refuge and killed the Patriarch and six men who were with him. The fact that it was Holy Saturday and the Canon of Pascha was being sung did not stop them. In their insane hatred they tied a rope to the body of the murdered Patriarch, and dragged it through the streets. They beat and lacerated it, and finally they burned it, scattering the ashes to the wind. Orthodox reported this to the holy Emperor Leo (457-474) and Saint Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3). An army arrived at Alexandria, the rebellion was crushed, and Menignus was brought to trial and exiled. the death of the Hieromartyr Proterius, four Thracian bishops of his time wrote: “We consider His Holiness Proterius to be in the ranks and choir of the saints, and we beseech God to be compassionate and merciful to us through his prayers.”

Byzantium, 455-455, Emperor, Petronius Maximus. Vandals Sack Rome
Byzantine Emperor, 455-455, Petronius Maximus. Vandals Sack Rome; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Byzantium, 457-474, Emperor, Leo I the Thracian, the Great, recovered Western territories, Placing Robe at Blachernae
Byzantine Emperor, 457-474, Leo I the Thracian ; I (c. 401 – 18 January 474) was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace,[2] he was known as Leo the Thracian. He was called Leo the Great probably to distinguish him from his young grandson and co-augustus Leo II ("the Small").[3] the Eastern Empire for nearly 20 years, Leo proved to be a capable ruler. He oversaw many ambitious political and military plans, aimed mostly at aiding the faltering Western Roman Empire and recovering its former territories. is notable for being the first Eastern Emperor to legislate in Koine Greek rather than Late Latin.[4] is commemorated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, with his feast day on 20 January.[5][6] St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Icon of the Mother of God "Jerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on December 29; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

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

Constantinople, 458-471, Patriarch, Gennadius, Placing Robe at Blachernae
Constantinople Patriarch, 458-471, Gennadius; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

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

Constantinople, 474-477, Commander, Armatus, son of Basiliscus, Icon of Armatia
Byzantium, 474-477, Commander, Armatus, son of Basiliscus; Byzantium, 475-476, Emperor, Basiliscus; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21;

Byzantium, 474, Emperor, Leo II, May have been poisoned by his Mother
Byzantine Emperor, 474, Leo II ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Byzantium, 474-491, Emperor, Zeno, Leo II's Father, Stabilized Eastern Empire, only begotten son of (one) God
Byzantine Emperor, 474-491, Zeno ; Zeno (; Greek: ; c. 425 -“ 9 April 491) was Eastern Roman emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues. His reign saw the end of the Western Roman Empire following the deposition of Romulus Augustus and the death of Julius Nepos, but he contributed much to stabilising the Eastern Empire. ecclesiastical history, Zeno is associated with the Henotikon or "instrument of union", promulgated by him and signed by all the Eastern bishops, with the design of solving the monophysite controversy. 1 Biography 1.1 Rise to power 1.1.1 Early life 1.1.2 Son-in-law of Leo I 1.2 Reign 1.2.1 First reign and Basiliscus' revolt (475-“476) 1.2.2 End of the Western Empire 1.2.3 Revolt of Marcian (479) 1.2.4 Revolt of Illus (484-“488) 1.2.5 Affairs with the Goths (474-“487) 1.2.6 Promulgation of the Henotikon (482) 1.2.7 Suppressing the Samaritan revolt (484) 1.3 Death and succession 2 In popular culture 3 See also 4 Notes 5 Bibliography 5.1 Primary sources 5.2 Secondary sources 6 External links -----------------------------------Rise to power[edit] -----------------------------------Early life[edit] detail of the Missorium of Aspar, depicting the powerful magister militum Aspar and his elder son Ardabur (434 circa). caused Ardabur's fall, producing treacherous letters that linked him to the Sassanid King; Ardabur later bribed some of Zeno's soldiers into trying to kill him. original name was Tarasis, and more accurately Tarasikodissa in his native Isaurian language (Latin: Trascalissaeus).[2] was born in Isauria, at Rusumblada, later renamed Zenopolis in Zeno's honour.[3] His father was called Kodisa (as attested by his patronymic "Tarasicodissa"), his mother Lallis, his brother Longinus. had a wife, Arcadia, whose name indicates a relationship with the Constantinopolitan aristocracy, and whose statue was erected near the Baths of Arcadius, along the steps that led to Topoi.[4] Eastern and other Christian traditions maintain that Zeno had two daughters, Hilaria and Theopiste, who followed a religious life,[5] but historical sources attest the existence of only one son by Arcadia, called Zenon.[6] to ancient sources, Zeno's prestigious career ”he had fought against Attila in 447 to defend Constantinople and been consul the following year ”was the reason why another Isaurian officer, Tarasis, chose the Greek name Zeno when he married into the Imperial family, thus being known as Zeno when he rose to the throne.[7] Some modern historians suggest that the Isaurian general Zeno was the father of the emperor,[8] but there is no consensus about this, and other sources suggest that Tarasis was a member of Zeno's entourage. Isaurians were a people who lived inland from the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, in the core of the Taurus Mountains (generally what is now the Konya/Bozkir area of Turkey). Like most borderland tribes, they were looked upon as barbarians by the Romans even though they had been Roman subjects for more than five centuries. However, being Orthodox Christians rather than Arians, as the Goths and other Germanic tribes were, they were not formally barred from the throne.[3] to some scholars, in the mid-460s, the Eastern Roman Emperor, Leo I, wanted to balance the weight of the Germanic component of the army, whose leader was the Alan magister militum Aspar. He thought that Tarasis and his Isaurians could be that counterweight, and called him, with many Isaurians, to Constantinople. This interpretation, however, has been contested.[9] the mid-460s, Arcadia and Zeno had been living at Constantinople for some time,[4] where Lallis and Longinus also lived, the latter married to a Valeria, possibly a woman of aristocrat rank.[9] to ancient sources, the earliest reference to Tarasis dates back to 464, when he put his hands on some letters written by Aspar's son, Ardabur, which proved that the son of the magister militum had incited the Sassanid King to invade Roman territory, promising to support the invasion. Through these letters, which Tarasis gave to Leo, the Emperor could dismiss Ardabur, who at the time was magister militum per Orientem and patricius, thus reducing Aspar's influence and ambition. reward for his loyalty, which Leo praised to Daniel the Stylite,[10] Tarasis was appointed comes domesticorum, an office of great influence and prestige.[4] This appointment could mean that Tarasis had been a protector domesticus, either at Leo's court in Constantinople, or attached at Ardabur's staff in Antioch.[9] 465, Leo and Aspar quarrelled about the appointment of consuls for the following year; it was on this occasion that Tarasis' position was strengthened, as he became friend and ally of the Emperor.[11] of Leo I[edit] of Ariadne, elder daughter of Emperor Leo I and wife of Zeno. make himself more acceptable to the Roman hierarchy and the population of Constantinople, Tarasis adopted the Greek name of Zeno and used it for the rest of his life. In mid-late 466, Zeno married Ariadne, elder daughter of Leo I and Verina; there is no reference to him divorcing Arcadia who evidently died prior to this. The next year their son was born, and Zeno became father of the heir apparent to the throne, as the only son of Leo I had died in his infancy; to stress his claim to the throne, the boy was called Leo.[12] however, was not present at the birth of his son, as in 467, he participated in a military campaign against the Goths.[9][13] I, father-in-law of Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor from 457 to 474. as a member of the protectores domestici, did not take part in the disastrous expedition against the Vandals, led in 468 by Leo's brother-in-law Basiliscus. following year, during which he held the honour of the consulate, he was appointed magister militum per Thracias and led an expedition in Thrace. The sources do not clearly state what enemy he fought there, and historians had proposed either Goths or Huns, or the rebels of Anagastes. way, before leaving, Leo and Zeno asked for Daniel the Stylite's opinion about the campaign, and Daniel answered that Zeno would be the target of a conspiracy but would escape unharmed. Indeed, Leo sent some of his personal soldiers with Zeno to protect him, but they were bribed by Aspar to capture him instead. Zeno was informed of their intention and fled to Serdica, and, because of this episode, Leo grew even more suspicious of Aspar.[14] the attack, Zeno did not return to Constantinople, where Aspar and Ardabur were, still with considerable power. Instead, he moved to the "Long Wall" (the Long Wall of the Thracian Chersonese or, less probably, the Anastasian Wall), then to Pylai and from there to Chalcedon. While waiting here for an opportunity to return to the capital, he was appointed magister militum per Orientem. He took the monk Peter the Fuller with him and left for Antioch, his office's see, passing through Isauria, where he put down the rebellion of Indacus. Zeno stayed at Antioch for two years.[15] living in Antioch with his family, Zeno sympathised with the Monophysite views of Peter the Fuller, and supported him against his opponent, the Chalcedonian bishop Martyrius. allowed the arrival in Antioch of monks from nearby monasteries who increased the number of Peter's followers, and did not effectively repress their violence. Martyrius went to Constantinople to ask Leo for help, but, on returning to Antioch, he was informed that Peter had been elected bishop, and resigned (470). ----------------------------Leo reacted by ordering Peter into exile and addressing to Zeno a law that forbade the monks from leaving their monasteries or fomenting rebellion (1 June 471).[16] In 470/471, had also to deal with an invasion of Tzanni, who attacked Roman Armenia.[17] Zeno far from Constantinople, Aspar had increased his influence by having his son Patricius appointed Caesar and married to Leo I's younger daughter, Leontia (470). are contradictory on the causes, but clearly state that in 471, Leo I had Aspar and Ardabur treacherously killed. This certainly occurred with Zeno's and Basiliscus' approval, as, on the eve of the murders, the two generals had moved closer to Constantinople (Zeno was at Chalcedon). Thereafter, Zeno returned to Constantinople and was appointed magister militum praesentalis.[18] reign and Basiliscus' revolt (475-“476)[edit] of Leo II, minted in the name of "Leo and Zeno perpetual Augusti"; it belongs to the period when both Zeno and his son were joint emperors, between 9 February and 17 November 474. On 25 October 473, I appointed as Caesar his grandson Leo II, the son of Zeno and Ariadne. On 18 January 474, Leo I died; if Leo II had not already been proclaimed co-emperor by his grandfather, he would have become Augustus on that occasion. Leo II was seven years old (too young to rule himself) Ariadne and her mother Verina prevailed upon him to crown Zeno, his father, as co-emperor, which he did on 9 February 474. When Leo II became ill and died, Zeno became sole emperor. had to settle matters with the Vandal King, Genseric, who was conducting raids against the Empire's coastal cities, threatening key commercial sea routes. sent Genseric a high-ranking officer as ambassador, Severus, who succeeded in stipulating an "eternal" peace between the Vandals and the Empire, which allowed the Romans to pay ransoms for the prisoners in Vandal hands and which ended the Vandal persecution of Orthodox Christians in their territory.[19] this success, Zeno continued to be unpopular with the people and Senate because of his barbarian origins; his right to the throne was limited to his marriage with Ariadne and his relationship to Verina, the dowager Empress. he chose to draw support from the Isaurian component of the army, in particular, the Isaurian generals Illus and Trocundes, both brothers. Verina decided to overthrow her son-in-law Zeno and replace him with her lover, the ex-magister officiorum Patricius, with the help of her brother Basiliscus. conspirators fomented riots in the capital against the Isaurian emperor; Basiliscus succeeded also in convincing Illus, Trocundes and the Ostrogothic general Theodoric Strabo to join the plot.[19] of Basiliscus, who revolted against Zeno in January 475 and held power until Zeno's return in August 476. Basiliscus was Verina's brother; he took power after having Zeno flee from Constantinople, but alienated the people of Constantinople and was captured and put to death by Zeno. January 475, Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople to Isauria with his wife and mother,[20] some Isaurian fellows and the Imperial treasure. Illus and Trocundes were sent to chase him, and Zeno was compelled to shut himself up in a fortress, where Illus besieged him, capturing also Zeno's brother, Longinus and keeping him as an hostage.[19] the conspirators quickly fell in conflict with each other. Basiliscus took the throne for himself, putting to death Verina's lover and candidate, Patricius. He also allowed the mob to kill all of the Isaurians left in Constantinople, an episode that damaged relations with the Isaurian generals Illus and Trocundes. appointed his nephew Armatus magister militum, thus alienating Theodoric Strabo. Zeno had left no money, Basiliscus was forced to levy heavy taxes. he alienated the Church by supporting the Monophysites. people of Constantinople also put the blame on him for a great fire that burned several parts of the city. the secret support of the Senate, and bribes paid by Zeno, Illus agreed to switch sides and united his army with Zeno's, marching on Constantinople. Basiliscus tried to recover popular support and sent another army against Zeno, under his nephew Armatus' command. Zeno succeeded in bribing Armatus too, promising to confirm his rank of magister militum praesentalis for life and promoting his son (also called Basiliscus) to the rank of Caesar; Armatus' army failed to intercept Zeno's troops during their march on Constantinople.[19] August 476, Zeno besieged Constantinople. The Senate opened the gates of the city to the Isaurian, allowing the deposed emperor to resume the throne. Basiliscus fled with his family to the baptistery of Hagia Sophia.[21][22] Betrayed by the Patriarch Acacius, he surrendered himself and his family after extracting a solemn promise from Zeno not to shed their blood. Basiliscus and his family were sent to a fortress in Cappadocia, where Zeno had them enclosed in a dry cistern, to die from exposure.[21][23][24] his restoration, Zeno fulfilled his promises, letting Armatus keep his title of magister militum praesentalis (possibly even raising him to the rank of patricius) and appointing his son Basiliscus Caesar in Nicaea.[25] 477, however, Zeno changed his mind, probably at Illus' instigation, as the latter stood to gain from the fall of Armatus, and ordered Armatus' death. Zeno confiscated all of Armatus' properties, deposed his son Basiliscus, and had him ordained as a priest.[26][27][28] of the Western Empire[edit] solidus was minted by Odoacer in the name of Zeno. Odoacer ruled Italy under the formal patronage of the Eastern Emperor. western emperor Olybrius died in the autumn of 472. Gundobad, the western magister militum then proclaimed Glycerius, the comes domesticorum (commander of the Imperial guard) as western emperor in Ravenna. I refused to endorse Glycerius and elevated his nephew Julius Nepos to co-emperor for the west in 473. Expecting resistance, Nepos was forced by bad winter weather to delay his voyage until the next year; it was therefore left to Zeno, as Leo's successor, to support Julius Nepos' installation in Ravenna. Nepos arrived in Italy, quickly deposed Glycerius who offered no resistance, and was proclaimed emperor by the Roman Senate in June 474. Julius was on good terms with Zeno, and he even minted coins in the names of Zeno, Leo II and himself.[29] and the Mediterranean Basin at the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 August 475, during Basiliscus' reign, while Zeno was in Isauria blocked by Illus' army, Orestes, the western magister militum, revolted, forcing Nepos to flee Italy for Dalmatia; Orestes proclaimed his own son Romulus Augustus emperor, but was unable to gain the allegiance of the remnants of the Western Empire outside of Italy.[29] year later, while Zeno was entering Constantinople to end Basiliscus' brief usurpation, Romulus and Orestes were overthrown by the Chieftain Odoacer. the support of Odoacer, the Roman Senate sent an envoy to present the imperial insignia to the restored Zeno. They asked Zeno to dissolve the separation of the empire and rule as sole Emperor; also, to appoint Odoacer both patricius and official imperial governor of Italy. the same time, Zeno received another embassy, sent by Julius Nepos, who asked Zeno to give him the money and the army he needed to resume his control of Italy. Zeno answered that the Roman Senate should welcome back Julius Nepos, their rightful emperor, and that Odoacer should properly receive the patriciate from Nepos, although he allowed that he would also grant it.[30] Odoacer was officially recognised and left in possession of Italy, while Nepos kept his title and the other fragments of the empire's western holdings, but no army. in deference to Zeno, Odoacer recognised Nepos' de jure reign in Italy until his death, ruling and even minting coins in his name, but he never allowed his return. Nepos' assassination in 480, Odoacer invaded Dalmatia to pursue and punish the assassins (and also to take Dalmatia for himself). Zeno legitimised Odoacer's authority in Dalmatia; Odoacer recognised Zeno as sole emperor of the again unitary Empire, but increasingly started using the title of king for himself.[31] of Marcian (479)[edit] was the son of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius (467-“472) and a grandson of Emperor Marcian (450-“457). He had married Ariadne's sister Leontia, and was therefore Zeno's brother-in-law; he was twice consul, in 467 and 472. 479 Marcian tried to overthrow Zeno and claim the throne for himself. With the help of his brothers Procopius Anthemius and Romulus, he gathered in Constantinople troops composed of both citizens and foreigners in the house of a Caesarius, south of the Forum of Theodosius, and from there they marched at the same time on the imperial palace and on the house of Illus, who was a supporter of Zeno. The emperor almost fell into the hands of the rebels, who, during the day, overwhelmed the imperial troops, who were also attacked by citizens from the roofs of their houses. During the night, however, Illus moved an Isaurian unit, quartered in nearby Chalcedonia, into Constantinople and also corrupted Marcian's soldiers, who allowed Zeno to flee. The following morning, Marcian, understanding that his situation was desperate and that reinforcements from Theodoric Strabo would not arrive in time, took refuge in the church of the Holy Apostles, but was arrested with his brothers.[32] sent Marcian and his brothers to Caesarea in Cappadocia. They tried to flee, but Marcian was captured and obliged to become a monk in Tarsus (Cilicia),[33] or imprisoned in Isauria, in the fortress of Papurius. He tried to escape a second time, and this time he succeeded, but, after gathering new troops and attacking Ancyra, he was defeated and captured by Trocundus, Illus' brother.[32] of Illus (484-“488)[edit] section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) commanding position and popular favour of Illus rendered him an object of suspicion, and Zeno in various ways sought to rid himself of him. Verina, the dowager Empress, plotted against his life. Verina's attempt was unsuccessful, and Zeno, equally jealous of her and of Illus, banished her at the suggestion of the latter, confining her in the fort of Papurius. There is some doubt as to the timing of these events. Candidus of Isauria places the banishment of Verina before the revolt of Marcian, and Theodore Lector assigns as the cause of it her share in the revolt of Basiliscus. It is not unlikely, indeed, that this turbulent woman was twice banished, once before Marcian's revolt, for her connection with Basiliscus, and again after Marcian's revolt, for her plot against Illus. her prison she managed to persuade her daughter Ariadne, the wife of Zeno, to attempt to obtain her release, first from Zeno, and then from Illus, to whom the Emperor referred her. Illus refused her request. Ariadne, like her mother, attempted to assassinate Illus. ascribes her hatred to another cause: he says that Illus had infused jealous suspicions into Zeno's mind which had led Zeno to attempt to end her life, and that her knowledge of these things stimulated her to revenge. The assassin whom she employed only wounded Illus; the assassin was taken prisoner and Zeno, who appears to have been privy to the affair, was unable to prevent his execution. ” with his friend Pamprepius, Leontius and his brother Trocundus “ now retired from court. They first went to Nicaea and then, on pretence of change of air and of procuring a cure for his wound, into the East where he was made magister militum. Having traversed Asia Minor, they raised the standard of revolt in 484, when Illus declared Leontius Emperor. sent an army to fight them, but Illus won, obtained possession of Papurius, released Verina, and induced her to crown Leontius at Tarsus. 485 Zeno sent against the rebels a fresh army, said to consist of Macedonians and Scythians (Tillemont conjectures, not unreasonably, that these were Ostrogoths) under John the Hunchback, or, more probably, John the Scythian, and Theoderic the Amal, who was at this time consul. John defeated the rebels near Seleucia and drove them into the fort of Papurius where he blockaded them. After a few months Trocundus died; the fort was taken only after four years of siege, by the treachery of Trocundus's brother-in-law, who had been sent for the purpose from Constantinople by Zeno. Illus and Leontius were beheaded (488) and their heads sent to the Emperor.[34] with the Goths (474-“487)[edit] weight with the name of Theoderic the Great, King of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy. served under Zeno, fighting against his opponent Theodoric Strabo (476-“481), and then was the leader of the army that besieged the fort of Papurius and captured and killed Illus' brother, Trocundus (484). aggressions of the two Ostrogothic leaders, Theoderic the Amal (Theoderic the Great), the son of Theodemir and leader of the Moesian Ostrogoths, and Theodoric Strabo, the leader of the Thracian Ostrogoths, had been a constant source of danger since 472. Although Zeno at times contrived to play them off against each other, they in turn were able to profit by his dynastic rivalries. It was only by offering them pay and high command that he kept them from attacking Constantinople itself. the death of Leo II, Theodoric Strabo rebelled against Zeno. His support was instrumental in overthrowing Zeno and raising Basiliscus to the Byzantine throne (475), but Theodoric and Basiliscus had a falling-out, so when Zeno returned to Constantinople in 476 and defeated Basiliscus, Strabo was reported to have not defended the city.[35][36] 476/477, Zeno allied himself with Strabo's rival, Theoderic the Amal, and ordered him to attack Strabo. The leader of the Thracian Goths sent an embassy to the Emperor, offering peace and blaming the Moesian Theodoric. Zeno understood that this offering was hiding further conspiracies, and convinced the Senate and army to declare Strabo a public enemy.[28] plan was to have the two Theoderics attack each other. He sent the Amal against Strabo, who supported the revolt of Marcian, with the promise of a huge Roman force as reinforcement (478). When Theoderic the Amal arrived through the mountains at Mount Soundis, he did not find the Roman reinforcement army he expected, but instead Theodoric Strabo's army, in a strongly fortified camp. The two Theoderics agreed to put forward a joint request to the Emperor, in order to extend to the south the settlement territory of the Ostrogoths in Moesia.[37] tried to divide the two Theoderics by bribing the Amal, but he refused the bribe. The Imperial army obtained some initial successes, but Zeno did not press his advantage, and allowed the Amal to move westward in Thrace, plundering territories as he went. With the Amal far away, Strabo accepted an agreement with Zeno: Strabo was to be given back his wealth, money to pay 13,000 soldiers, the command of two palatinae units, and the title once more of magister militum.[37] However, the army of Theodoric Strabo, 30,000-men strong was still a menace for Zeno, who convinced the Bulgars to attack the Thracian Goths in their own base. Strabo defeated the Bulgars in 480/481, and moved towards Constantinople, but he had to deal with problems with his own men, so he could not capitalise upon his victory and was forced to return to Greece. On his way back, he died in an accident.[37] Theodoric Strabo died in 481, the future Theoderic the Great became king of the entire Ostrogoth nation and continued to be a source of trouble in the Balkan peninsula. Zeno allied to Theoderic, whom he appointed magister militum praesentalis and even consul for the year 484, the first time a barbarian who was not a citizen of the Empire reached such a high distinction. Zeno had Theoderic fight against Illus and the usurper Leontius, besieging them at Papurius in 484-“488. However, in 486 Theoderic revolted again and attacked Constantinople, severing the city's water supply. Zeno bought a peace and agreed with Theoderic that the Ostrogoths should have gone to invade Italy to fight Odoacer, who had allegedly supported Leontius, and to establish his new kingdom there (487). This all but eliminated the Germanic presence in the east.[38] of the Henotikon (482)[edit] religious matters, Zeno is famous for his Henotikon, or "Act of Union", issued in 482 to mediate between Chalcedonian and Miaphysite views about the nature of Christ. The Chalcedonians recognised two natures (physis) in Christ, the Miaphysites only one; the Council of Chalcedon (451) had issued the Chalcedonian Creed and condemned the Miaphysite position, but the Miaphysites were still strong, especially in the Eastern provinces of the Empire, and the Patriarch of Alexandria, Peter Mongus, was a Miaphysite. Supporting the Miaphysites was one of the mistakes made by Basiliscus, as the people of Constantinople were Chalcedonian, but Zeno needed the support of the Miaphysite provinces ”Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Asia Minor; also, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Acacius, was interested in reducing the distance between the two positions. in 482 Zeno issued the Henotikon, a document he had developed with the support of Acacius and addressed to the factions in Egypt. The edict affirmed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (i.e., the Creed of Nicaea completed at Constantinople) as affording a common, final and united symbol or expression of faith. All other symbola or mathemata were excluded; Eutyches and Nestorius were unmistakably condemned in an anathema, while the twelve chapters of Cyril of Alexandria were accepted. The teaching of Chalcedon was not so much repudiated as passed over in silence; Jesus Christ was described as the "only-begotten Son of God [...] one and not two" and there was no explicit reference to the two natures.[39] bishop of Rome, Pope Felix III, refused to accept the document and excommunicated Acacius (484), thus beginning the Acacian schism, which lasted until 519.[40] 488 the patriarch of Antioch, Peter the Fuller, came to Constantinople to have his right to the Church of Cyprus confirmed. Zeno called the bishop of Cyprus, Anthemius, to answer the accusations. The bishop claimed that before his departure, he had had a vision of St. Barnabas, in which the position of the tomb of the apostle had been revealed to him. In the tomb, Anthemius had found the relics of the apostle and a copy of the Gospel of Matthew written in Hebrew by Barnabas himself. received the relics and the manuscript, and in exchange he proclaimed the autonomy of the Church of Cyprus.[41] 489 Zeno closed the Persian school of Edessa, Mesopotamia, by request of bishop Cyrus II of Edessa, because it promoted Nestorian teachings, and built a church in its place. The school relocated to its original home of Nisibis, becoming again the School of Nisibis, and leading to a wave of Nestorian immigration into Persia.[42] the Samaritan revolt (484)[edit] Gerizim, where Samaritan sources have Zeno buried. According to Samaritan sources, Zeno (whom the sources call "Zait the King of Edom") persecuted the Samaritans. The Emperor went to Sichem (Neapolis), gathered the elders and asked them to convert; when they refused, Zeno had many Samaritans killed, and converted the synagogue to a church. Zeno then took for himself Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans worshipped God, and built several edifices, among which a tomb for his recently deceased son, on which he put a cross, so that the Samaritans, worshipping God, would prostrate in front of the tomb. According to these same sources, Zeno was buried on Mount Gerizim. in 484, the Samaritans revolted. rebels attacked Sichem, burnt five churches built on Samaritan holy places and cut off the fingers of bishop Terebinthus, who was officiating the ceremony of Whitsun. They elected Justa (or Justasa/Justasus) as their king and moved to Caesarea, where a significant Samaritan community lived. Here several Christians were killed and the church of St. Sebastian was destroyed. Justa celebrated the victory with games in the circus. to John Malalas, the dux Palestinae Asclepiades, whose troops were reinforced by the Caesarea-based Arcadiani of Rheges, defeated Justa, killed him and sent his head to Zeno.[43] According to Procopius of Caesarea, Terebinthus went to Zeno to ask for revenge; the Emperor personally went to Samaria to quell the rebellion.[44] historians believe that the order of the facts preserved by Samaritan sources should be inverted, as the persecution of Zeno was a consequence of the rebellion rather than its cause, and should have happened after 484, around 489. rebuilt the church of St. Procopius in Neapolis (Sichem) and the Samaritans were banned from Mount Gerizim, on whose top a signalling tower was built to alert in case of civil unrest.[45] and succession[edit] died on 9 April 491,[46] of dysentery[47] or of epilepsy,[48] after ruling for 17 years and 2 months. No sons were to succeed him: Leo had died in 474, Zenon, the first son, in his youth, while living at court.[6] then chose a favoured member of the Imperial court, Anastasius, to succeed Zeno, whose brother Longinus revolted, starting the Isaurian War. to a popular legend recorded by two 11th century and 12th century writers, Zeno was buried alive after becoming insensible due to drinking or an illness.[49] For three days cries of "have pity on me!" could be heard from within his verd antique sarcophagus, but because of the hatred of his wife and subjects, Ariadne refused to open the tomb.[50] This tale is not likely, as earlier and contemporary sources do not mention it, even though they too were hostile to his memory.[50] Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Byzantium, 475-476, Emperor, Basiliscus, Varina's b, barbarian successor to Leo, Miaphysite, k by Zeno coming back
Byzantium, 475-476, Emperor, Basiliscus; Basiliscus (died 476/477) was Eastern Roman emperor from 475 to 476. A member of the House of Leo, he came to power when Emperor Zeno was forced out of Constantinople by a revolt. Basiliscus was the brother of Empress Aelia Verina, who was the wife of Emperor Leo I (457-“474). His relationship with the Emperor allowed him to pursue a military career that, after minor initial successes, ended in 468, when he led the disastrous Roman invasion of Vandal Africa, in one of the largest military operations of Late Antiquity. succeeded in seizing power in 475, exploiting the unpopularity of Emperor Zeno, the barbarian successor to Leo, and a plot organised by Verina that had caused Zeno to flee Constantinople. However, during his short rule, Basiliscus alienated the fundamental support of the Church and the people of Constantinople, promoting the Miaphysite christological position in opposition to the Chalcedonian faith. Also, his policy of securing his power through the appointment of loyal men to key roles antagonised many important figures in the imperial court, including his sister Verina. So, when Zeno tried to regain his empire, he found virtually no opposition, triumphantly entering Constantinople, and capturing and killing Basiliscus and his family. struggle between Basiliscus and Zeno impeded the Eastern Roman Empire's ability to intervene in the fall of the Western Roman Empire, which happened in early September 476. When the chieftain of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed Western Emperor Romulus Augustus, sending the imperial regalia to Constantinople, Zeno had just regained his throne, and was in no position to take any action but appoint Odoacer dux of Italy, thereby ending the Western Roman Empire. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21;

Byzantium, 491-518, Emperor, Anastasius I, better govrnmt, econ, but heratic
Byzantine Emperor, 491-518, Anastasius I ; Anastasius I (Greek:431 -“ 9 July 518) was Byzantine emperor from 491 to 518. He made his career as a government administrator. He came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by the wife of his predecessor, Zeno. His religious tendencies caused tensions throughout his reign. He is often recognized as the first Byzantine emperor.[4] His reign was characterised by improvements in the government, economy, and bureaucracy in the Eastern Roman empire.[5] He is noted for leaving the imperial government with a sizeable budget surplus of 23,000,000 solidi due to minimisation of government corruption, reforms to the tax code, and the introduction of a new form of currency.[6] He is venerated as a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church on 29 July. BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; St Severus the Presbyter of Interocrea in Italy, Commemorated on June 27;

Constantinople, 500-599, 6th Century, Folder, Monophysites

Constantinople, 501-555, Gregory of Homer, m d accurate prophecies&visions, m travels, Ethiopia, converts fourfold people
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Constantinople, 501-580, St Christopher of Palestine, Roman, Monastery of St. Theodosius, prayed and prostrated each night
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476; Jerusalem, 471-576, Jerusalem Saint, Theodosius the Cenobiarch; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Christopher, a Roman, lived during the sixth century. He was tonsured into monasticism at the monastery of Saint Theodosius (January 11) in Palestine, near Jerusalem. The accounts of Abba Theodulus about Saint Christopher are contained in chapters 105 and 234 of the book The Spiritual Meadow (Limonarion) Saint Christopher went to Jerusalem to worship at the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord and at the Life-Creating Cross. At the gateway of the church he beheld a monk not moving from the spot. Two ravens flew before his face. Saint Christopher discerned that these were demons, which held the monk back from entering the church. asked the brother: “Why do you stand at the gate and not enter?” The brother answered: “Pardon me, Father, but within me struggle two thoughts. One says: go and venerate the Venerable Cross. The other says: don’t go in, make some excuse, and come to venerate the Cross another time.” Then Saint Christopher took the brother by the hand and led him into the church. The ravens immediately disappeared, and the brother venerated the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre. Saint Christopher told this story to someone who was distracted by his duties and neglected his prayers. day Saint Christopher fulfilled his monastic obedience, and by night he retired to a cave, where at an earlier time Saint Theodosius and other Fathers had prayed. At each of the 18 steps leading into the cave, he made 100 prostrations, and spent the greater part of the night in prayer, before the semantron was sounded for Orthros. spent eleven years doing this. time, descending into the cave, he beheld a multitude of lamps in it. Two radiant youths were tending them. “Why have you put the lamps here so that I cannot enter in and pray?” asked the monk. “These are the lamps of the Fathers,” they replied. “Tell me, does my lamp burn or not?” They said, “Pray, and we will light it.” “Pray?” he said, “What have I been doing up to now?” Then the saint said to himself: “Christopher, if you wish to be saved, greater effort is needed!” dawn he went from the monastery to Mount Sinai, taking nothing with him. The monk toiled there for fifty years at great exploits. Finally, he heard a voice saying, “Christopher! Go to the monastery where you struggled earlier, so that you might rest there with your Fathers.” Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24;

Constantinople, 510-556, Saint Romanos the Melodist
Byzantium, 510-556, Saint Romanos the Melodist; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1;

Byzantium, 518-527, Emperor, Justin I, elected at 70, Justinian dynasty, no pagan symbols
Byzantine Emperor, 518-527, Justin I ; BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Constantinople, 520-540, Elesbaan, King, Ethiopia, pious christian, took revenge, defeated, vow, victory, monastery
Ethiopian King, 520-540, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian Kingdom of Axum (100-940); Blessed Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Elesbaan, King of what is now Ethiopia lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, the oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to look on indifferently as believers in Christ were being massacred. He declared war on Dunaan, but his military campaign was unsuccessful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, with prompting from above, turned to a certain hermit. He revealed to the emperor that he had proceeded unrighteously in deciding to take revenge against Dunaan, since the Lord had said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay!” (Heb 10:30). hermit counseled Saint Elesbaan make a vow to devote his final days of life to God, to escape the wrath of God for his self-willed revenge, and then to defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made a vow to the Lord, and marching off with his army against the enemy, he defeated, captured and executed him. After the victory the saint resigned as emperor, secluded himself within a monastery and for fifteen years he dwelt in strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Constantinople, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during this time Gregory with Elesbaan, Ethiopia, Jesus revealed to Jews
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during time Gregory with Elesbaan ; -------------------During this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Constantinople, 525-620, Byzantine Saint, Dorotheus of Gaza
Byzantine Saint, 525-620, Dorotheus of Gaza; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19;

Constantinople, 526-597, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Younger
Syrian Saint, 526-597, Simeon Stylites the Younger; Syria - 526 Antioch earthquake; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8;

Byzantium, 527-565, Emperor, Justinian 1, t Great, Restore of E o Vandals&OGoths,Persia, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor, 527-565, Justinian 1 (the Great) ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; Justinian, a major figure in the history of the Byzantine state, was also a great champion of Orthodoxy, a builder of churches and a Church writer. was born in the Roman province of Illyricum. his reign (527-565), Byzantium won glory with military victories in Persia, Africa, and Italy, as a result of which paganism was decisively routed among the Germanic Vandals and Visigoth tribes. command of the emperor Justinian the pagan schools in Athens were closed. sent John, the Bishop of Ephesus, throughout the regions of Asia Minor with the aim of spreading Christianity. John baptized more than 70,000 pagans. emperor gave orders to build ninety churches for the newly-converted, and he generously supported church construction within the Empire. His finest structures of the time are considered to be St. Catherine's Monastery at Sinai, and the church of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople. Saint Justinian many churches were built dedicated to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos. he had received a broad education, Saint Justinian assiduously concerned himself with the education of clergy and monks, ordering them to be instructed in rhetoric, philosophy and theology. right-believing sovereign devoted much attention and effort to the struggle with the Origenists of his time, who then were reviving the Nestorian heresy. To counter their heretical speculations, the Church hymn “Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God, Who for our salvation...” was composed, and Justinian commanded that it be sung in the churches. that time to the present day, this hymn is sung at the Divine Liturgy before the Small Entrance after the second Antiphon. the command of the sovereign, the Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 553, censuring the teachings of Origen and affirming the definitions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon. He also attempted to secure religious unity within the Empire through his (unsuccessful) dialogues with the non-Chalcedonians. holy Emperor Justinian wished to have orderly rule and law within the realm. Under his guidance and supervision a complete compendium of Roman law was compiled. It has come down to us as a law codex known as “the Justinian Codex.” The “Church laws” of Justinian are included in all the variants of the Russian collections of Canon Law. his personal life, Saint Justinian was strictly pious, and he fasted often. During Great Lent he would not eat bread nor drink wine. He is also remembered for promoting the idea of “symphony” between church and state. The holy Emperor Justinian died in the year 565. BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated on January 5; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated on February 19; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Byzantium, 527-548, Empress, Theodora, Wife of Justinian I, chief adviser, Miaphysite, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor, 527-548, Empress Theodora, Wife of Justinian I; ( c. 500 – 28 June 548) was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to emperor Justinian. She became empress upon Justinian's accession in 527 and was one of his chief advisers, albeit from humble origins. Along with her spouse, Theodora is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Oriental Orthodox Church, commemorated on 14 November and 28 June respectively. main historical sources for her life are the works of her contemporary Procopius. The historian offered three contradictory portrayals of the empress. The Wars of Justinian, largely completed in 545, paints a picture of a courageous and influential empress who saved the throne for Justinian. he wrote the Secret History, which survives in only one manuscript suggesting it was not widely read during the Byzantine era. The work has sometimes been interpreted as representing a deep disillusionment with the emperor Justinian, the empress, and even his patron Belisarius. is depicted as cruel, venal, prodigal and incompetent; as for Theodora, the reader is given a detailed portrayal of vulgarity and underage sex, combined with shrewish and calculating mean-spiritedness; even claims both are demons whose heads were seen to leave their bodies and roam the palace at night. Alternatively, scholars versed in political rhetoric of the era have viewed these statements from the Secret History as formulaic expressions within the tradition of invective. Buildings of Justinian, written about the same time as the Secret History, is a panegyric which paints Justinian and Theodora as a pious couple and presents particularly flattering portrayals of them. Besides her piety, her beauty is praised within the conventional language of the text's rhetorical form. Although Theodora was dead when this work was published, Justinian was alive, and perhaps commissioned the work.[1] contemporary John of Ephesus writes about Theodora in his Lives of the Eastern Saints and mentions an illegitimate daughter.[2] other historians presented additional information on her life. Theophanes the Confessor mentions some familial relations of Theodora to figures not mentioned by Procopius. Victor Tonnennensis notes her familial relation to the next empress, Sophia. the Syrian, the Chronicle of 1234 and Bar-Hebraeus place her origin in the city of Daman, near Kallinikos, They contradict Procopius by making Theodora the daughter of a priest, trained in the pious practices of Miaphysitism since birth. These are late Miaphysite sources and record her depiction among members of their creed. The Miaphysites have tended to regard Theodora as one of their own and the tradition may have been invented as a way to improve her reputation and is also in conflict with what is told by the contemporary Miaphysite historian John of Ephesus.[3] These accounts are thus usually ignored in favor of Procopius.[2] years[edit] according to Michael Grant, was of Greek Cypriot descent.[4] There are several indications of her possible birthplace. According to Michael the Syrian, her birthplace was in Mabbug, Syria;[5] Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos names Theodora a native of Cyprus, while the Patria, attributed to George Codinus, claims Theodora came from Paphlagonia. was born c. 500 AD. Her father, Acacius, was a bear trainer of the hippodrome's Green faction in Constantinople. Her mother, whose name is not recorded, was a dancer and an actress.[6] Her parents had two more daughters, the eldest named Comito and the youngest Anastasia.[7] her father's death, when Theodora was four,[8] her mother brought her children wearing garlands into the hippodrome and presented them as suppliants to the Blue faction. From then on, Theodora would be their supporter. to Procopius, (in his Secret History) Theodora followed her sister Comito's example from an early age and worked in a Constantinople brothel serving low-status customers; later, she performed on stage.[9] Theodora, in Procopius's account, made a name for herself with her salacious portrayal of Leda and the Swan.[10] Employment as an actress at the time would include both "indecent exhibitions on stage" and providing sexual services off stage. During this time, she met the future wife of Belisarius, Antonina, who would become a part of the women's court led by Theodora. the age of 16, Theodora traveled to North Africa as the concubine of a Syrian official named Hecebolus when he went to the Libyan Pentapolis as governor.[11] She stayed with him for almost four years before returning to Constantinople. ---------------------------------------------Abandoned and maltreated by Hecebolus, on her way back to the capital of the Byzantine Empire, she settled for a while in Alexandria, Egypt. is speculated by some to have met Patriarch Timothy III in Alexandria, who was Miaphysite, and it may be at that time that she converted to Miaphysite Christianity. Alexandria, she went to Antioch, where she met a Blue faction's dancer, Macedonia, who was perhaps an informer of Justinian. Justinian sought to marry Theodora, he could not: a Roman law from Constantine's time prevented anyone of senatorial rank from marrying actresses. In 524, Justin passed a new law, which decreed that reformed actresses could thereafter legally marry outside their rank if approved by the emperor. The same law stated that daughters of these actresses would also be free to marry a man of any rank, which would have allowed her illegitimate daughter (whose name has been lost) to marry one of the previous emperor Anastasius' relatives. Soon thereafter, Justinian married Theodora.[11] as Empress[edit] of Justinian from a contemporary portrait mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna Justinian succeeded to the throne in 527, two years after the marriage, Theodora was crowned Augusta and became empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. She shared in his plans and political strategies, participated in state councils, and Justinian called her his "partner in my deliberations."[12] This was in Novel 8.1 (AD 535), an anti-corruption legislation, where provincial officials had to take an oath to her as well as the emperor. She had her own court and official entourage. She was often present when the emperor held court. The emperor sought her views on many matters before issuing orders. Nika riots[edit] were two rival political factions in the Empire, the Blues and the Greens, who started a [[riot in January 532 during a chariot race in the hippodrome. The riots stemmed from many grievances, some of which had resulted from Justinian's and Theodora's own actions.[13] rioters set many public buildings on fire, and proclaimed a new emperor, Hypatius, the nephew of former emperor Anastasius I. Unable to control the mob, Justinian and his officials prepared to flee. At a meeting of the government council, Theodora spoke out against leaving the palace and underlined the significance of someone who died as a ruler instead of living as an exile or in hiding, reportedly saying, "royal purple is the noblest shroud".[14] the emperor and his counsellors were still preparing their project, Theodora interrupted them and claimed: lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man's council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud."[15] determined speech convinced them all, including Justinian himself, who had been preparing to run. As a result, Justinian ordered his loyal troops, led by the officers, Belisarius and Mundus, to attack the demonstrators in the hippodrome, killing (according to Procopius) over 30,000 rebels. Despite his claims that he was unwillingly named emperor by the mob, Hypatius was also put to death, apparently at Theodora's insistence.[16] that Justinian never forgot that it was Theodora who had saved his throne depend on seeing Procopius' account as a straightforward report, and not framed to impugn Justinian with the implication that he was more cowardly than his wife. The wording of her famous speech is devised by Procopius, changing the term "tyranny" from an ancient saying to "royal purple", which likely reflects Procopius' desire to link Justinian to ancient tyrants. life[edit] the Nika revolt, Justinian and Theodora rebuilt and reformed Constantinople, building or rebuilding aqueducts, bridges and more than twenty five churches. The most famous of these is Hagia Sophia, considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. was punctilious about court ceremony. According to Procopius, the Imperial couple made all senators, including patricians, prostrate themselves before them whenever they entered their presence, and made it clear that their relations with the civil militia were those of masters and slaves. even the government officials could approach the Empress without expending much time and effort. They were treated like servants and kept waiting in a small, stuffy room for an endless time. After many days, some of them might at last be summoned, but going into her presence in great fear, they very quickly departed. They simply showed their respect by lying face down and touching the instep of each of her feet with their lips; there was no opportunity to speak or to make any request unless she told them to do so. The government officials had sunk into a slavish condition, and she was their slave-instructor. also carefully supervised the magistrates, possibly to reduce bureaucratic corruption. also created her own centers of power. The eunuch Narses, who in old age developed into a brilliant general, was her close ally, as was the praetorian prefect Peter Barsymes. John the Cappadocian, Justinian's chief tax collector, was identified as her enemy, because of his independent and great influence, and was brought down by a plot devised by Theodora and Antonina. She engaged in matchmaking, forming a network of alliances between the old powers, represented by emperor Anastasius' family and the pre-existing nobility, and the new, who were Justinian's and her relatives. According to Secret History, she attempted to marry her grandson Anastasius to Joannina, Belisarius' and Antonina's daughter and heiress, against her parents' will, although the couple would eventually fall in love with each other. The marriages of her sister Comito to general Sittas and her niece Sophia to Justinian's nephew Justin II, who would succeed to the throne, are suspected to have been engineered by Theodora. gave reception and sent letters and gifts to Persian and foreign ambassadors and the sister of Khosrow I.[17] involvement in helping underprivileged women was substantial, being "known for buying girls who had been sold into prostitution, freeing them, and providing for their future."[18] She closed brothels and made pimping a criminal offense. She created a convent on the Asian side of the Dardanelles called the Metanoia (Repentance), where the ex-prostitutes could support themselves.[11] Procopius' Secret History maintained that instead of preventing forced prostitution (as in Buildings 1.9.3ff), Theodora is said to have 'rounded up' 500 prostitutes, confining them to a convent. They sought to escape 'the unwelcome transformation' by leaping over the walls (SH 17). On the other hand, chronicler John Malalas who wrote positively about the court, declared she "freed the girls from the yoke of their wretched slavery."[19] A century later, John of Nikiu observed its positive impact, noting that Theodora "put an end to the prostitution of women, and gave orders for their expulsion from every place." legislations also expanded the rights of women in divorce and property ownership, instituted the death penalty for rape, forbade exposure of unwanted infants, gave mothers some guardianship rights over their children, and forbade the killing of a wife who committed adultery. Though her specific involvement in these legal reforms is not recorded,[20] Procopius, in Wars, mentioned that she was naturally inclined to assist women in misfortune, and according to Secret History, she championed the wives' causes when their husbands charged them with adultery (SH 17). policy[edit] Theodora Mosaic of Theodora - Basilica San Vitale (Ravenna, Italy).jpg Theodora and attendants (mosaic from Basilica of San Vitale, 6th century) in Orthodox Church Catholicism Orthodox Church shrine of the Holy Apostles, Constantinople modern day Istanbul, Turkey November in the Eastern Orthodox Church, 28 June in the Syriac Orthodox Church Vestment worked against her husband's support of Chalcedonian Christianity in the ongoing struggle for the predominance of each faction.[21] As a result, she was accused of fostering heresy and thus undermined the unity of Christendom. spite of Justinian being Chalcedonian, Theodora founded a Miaphysite monastery in Sykae and provided shelter in the palace for Miaphysite leaders who faced opposition from the majority of Chalcedonian Christians, like Severus and Anthimus. Anthimus had been appointed Patriarch of Constantinople under her influence, and after the excommunication order he was hidden in Theodora's quarters for twelve years, until her death. When the Chalcedonian Patriarch Ephraim provoked a violent revolt in Antioch, eight Miaphysite bishops were invited to Constantinople and Theodora welcomed them and housed them in the Hormisdas Palace adjoining the Great Palace, which had been Justinian and Theodora's own dwelling before they became emperor and empress. Egypt, when Timothy III died, Theodora enlisted the help of Dioscoros, the Augustal Prefect, and Aristomachos the duke of Egypt, to facilitate the enthronement of a disciple of Severus, Theodosius, thereby outmaneuvering her husband, who had intended a Chalcedonian successor as patriarch. But Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria, even with the help of imperial troops, could not hold his ground in Alexandria against Justinian's Chalcedonian followers. When he was exiled by Justinian along with 300 Miaphysites to the fortress of Delcus in Thrace, Theodora rescued him and brought him to the Hormisdas Palace. He lived under her protection and, after her death in 548, under Justinian's. Pope Silverius refused Theodora's demand that he remove the anathema of Pope Agapetus I from Patriarch Anthimus, she sent Belisarius instructions to find a pretext to remove Silverius. When this was accomplished, Pope Vigilius was appointed in his stead. Nobatae, south of Egypt, the inhabitants were converted to Miaphysite Christianity about 540. Justinian had been determined that they be converted to the Chalcedonian faith and Theodora equally determined that they should be Miaphysites. Justinian made arrangements for Chalcedonian missionaries from Thebaid to go with presents to Silko, the king of the Nobatae. But on hearing this, Theodora prepared her own missionaries and wrote to the duke of Thebaid that he should delay her husband's embassy, so that the Miaphysite missionaries should arrive first. The duke was canny enough to thwart the easygoing Justinian instead of the unforgiving Theodora. He saw to it that the Chalcedonian missionaries were delayed. When they eventually reached Silko, they were sent away, for the Nobatae had already adopted the Miaphysite creed of Theodosius. death is recorded by Victor of Tonnena, with the cause uncertain but the Greek terms used are often translated as "cancer." The date was 28 June 548 at the age of 48.[22] Later accounts frequently attribute the death to breast cancer, although it was not identified as such in the original report where the use of the term "cancer" probably referred to "a suppurating ulcer or malignant tumor".[22] Other sources report that she died at 51.[23] Her body was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, in Constantinople. During a procession in 559, Justinian visited and lit candles for her tomb.[24] Theodora and Justinian are represented in mosaics that exist to this day in the Basilica of San Vitale of Ravenna, Italy, which was completed a year before her death. influence[edit] Miaphysites believed her influence on Justinian to be so strong that after her death, when he worked to bring harmony between the Monophysites and the Chalcedonian Christians in the Empire, and kept his promise to protect her little community of Monophysite refugees in the Hormisdas Palace, the Miaphysites suspected Theodora's memory to be the driving factor. Theodora provided much political support for the ministry of Jacob Baradaeus, and apparently personal friendship as well. Diehl attributes the modern existence of Jacobite Christianity equally to Baradaeus and to Theodora.[25] in Cyrenaica renamed itself Theodorias after Theodora. (It was a common event that ancient cities renamed themselves to honor an emperor or empress.) The city, now called Qasr Libya, is known for its splendid sixth-century mosaics. Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated on January 5; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated on February 19; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 527-565, Sophronius, wonderworker, Archbishop of Cyprus, during Justinian reign
Cyprus, 527-565, Sophronius, wonderworker, Archbishop of Cyprus, during Justinian reign; Cyprus; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9 ; Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus, was born into a Christian family on Cyprus, he studied many sciences, but most of all he devoted himself to the reading of Holy Scripture. He became so accomplished in piety and good works, that he was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. the death of Saint Damian, bishop of Cyprus, Saint Sophronius was chosen to replace him. As bishop, he proved himself a true father to his flock.

Constantinople, 535-536, Anthimus I, Patriarch, heretic
Constantinople, 535-536, Patriarch, Anthimus I of Constantinople, heretic; St. Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25;

Constantinople, 536-552, Menas, Patriarch, healed plague, excommunicated, Hagia Sophia, Jewish child oven story
Constantinople Patriarch, 536-552, Menas of Constantinople; (Minas) (? - 25 August 552) considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was born in Alexandria, and enters the records in high ecclesiastical office as presbyter and director of the Hospital of Sampson in Constantinople, where tradition has him linked to Saint Sampson directly, and in the healing of Justinian from the bubonic plague in 542.[1] was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I on 13 March, 536.[2] Pope Agapetus I consecrated him to succeed Anthimus, who was condemned as a monophysite. This was first time that a Pope consecrated a Patriarch of Constantinople. some date very soon after his election he received the order (keleusis) from the Emperor, whose text is not preserved, but which instructed him to call a synodos endemousa to examine the case of Anthimus, which would be heard at a series of five sessions, beginning on 2 May and ending 4 June 536. [3] This Synod condemned Anthimus, as noted in Novel XLII from Justinian, addressed directly to Menas.[4] Within this same effort from Justinian to seal the growing rift between the Patriarch in Constantinople and that of Jerusalem, Menas later took a position against Origen, a crisis merging into the Three-Chapter Controversy, an attempt to condemn the writings of certain Non-Chalcedonian figures. Because of these moves, he was excommunicated by Agapetus in 547 and in 551 for taking positions counter to those held by the Pope; but in both cases the sentence of excommunication was quickly lifted. patriarchy represents the greatest extent of papal influence in Constantinople. Almost immediately after the events of 536, which may be viewed as a Chalcedonian victory over monophysites, the ordination of an independent network of monophysite bishops would begin, leading eventually to the formation of a separate monophysite church, the still-existing Syrian Orthodox Church. Justinian and Mena’s efforts for Church doctrinal unity would meet with failure.[5] was during his patriarchate that emperor Justinian's church of Hagia Sophia, then the largest building in the world and the seat of the Patriarchs, was consecrated. Also, in 551 the Emperor compelled Menas to call what would be the Fifth Ecumenical Council, to reconcile the Western and Eastern Churches around the Three Chapter Controversy, to be chaired ultimately by his successor Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople in 553. [6] died peacefully in 552. His feast day in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions is observed on August 25. St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople (536-552), was at first a presbyter at Constantinople and supervisor there of the Home of Saint Sampson the Hospitable for the poor and needy during the reign of Saint Justinian I (527-565). After the removal of the heretic Anthimus (535-536), the holy presbyter Menas was raised to the patriarchal throne of Constantinople as one worthy to be bishop, because of his profound virtue and firm confession of Orthodoxy. Agapitus, the Bishop of Rome (535-536), participated in the consecration of Saint Menas. He had come to Constantinople in order to depose the heretic Anthimus. During the patriarchate of Saint Menas a miracle occurred at Constantinople, which was known to the whole city. certain Jewish child went with other children to church and he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. At home, he told his father about this. In a terrible rage, he seized the child and threw him into a red-hot oven (the father was a glass-blower). He said nothing to his wife. For three days, the mother tearfully searched for her son, calling loudly for him. On the third day, he emerged from the red-hot oven. When she pulled the child out, she found that he was unharmed. boy said that a most radiant Lady had come to him, cooling the fire and bringing him water and food. This incident became known to Saint Menas and the emperor Justinian I. The boy and his mother received Baptism, but the father of the child was obdurate and did not wish to repent, in spite of the great miracle that he had seen. Then the emperor ordered that the father be tried as a child-killer, and sentenced him to death. holy Patriarch Menas ruled the Church of Constantinople for sixteen years. During his patriarchate at Constantinople, the famous church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God, was consecrated. The saint died peacefully in the year 552. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; Saint Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Sampson was born in Rome, the son of wealthy, but devout and virtuous parents. He received an excellent education, studying philosophy and medicine, among other subjects. From his earliest childhood, he lived an exemplary Christian life. After the death of his parents he transformed the family estate into a clinic for the sick. Word of his healing skills spread, and so many people came to him that he had to hire a staff to care for the increasing numbers of people who sought his help. When he had an adequate staff, he donated all of his wealth to the clinic, and was content to live in poverty (Luke 12:33-34). Sampson went to Constantinople, where he hoped to spend the rest of his life in asceticism. He found, however, that there was just as much need for his skill in Constantinople as there had been in Rome. He bought a modest home and began to treat the sick. God blessed Saint Sampson's work and gave him the grace of working miracles. He healed the sick not only by his medical skill, but also as one filled with the grace of God. News of Saint Sampson spread rapidly throughout the Queen of Cities. piety and love for his neighbor brought him to the attention of Patriarch Menas of Constantinople (August 25), who ordained him to the holy priesthood. When Emperor Justinian became ill, and his physicians were unable to provide any relief for him, Patriarch Menas suggested that he send for Sampson, who healed the Emperor. Justinian offered him gold and silver to show his gratitude, but the saint refused, saying that he had already given all his wealth away. Instead, he asked Justinian to build a hospice for travelers. Life was written by St. Symeon Metaphrastes. The historian Procopius, however, implies that Sampson lived before the sixth century, and that the hospice had existed before his own time (Buildings, I, 2, 14). When Sampson's hospice (xenon) was burnt and destroyed in 532, Justinian rebuilt it and endowed it with a generous annual income. It was intended for the destitute, and those who suffered from serious illnesses, as well as those who had lost their property or their health. Sampson reposed quietly, following a brief illness, in the year 530 at a ripe old age. He was buried in the church of Saint Mokios (ÎœÏŽÎºÎ¹Î¿Ï‚), which was built by Saint Constantine the Great. Many miracles of healing took place at the tomb of Saint Sampson. after his death, the Saint continued to watch over his hospice. Twice he appeared to a lazy worker, and chastised him for his negligence. Later, the hospice became a church, and a new building for the homeless was constructed beside it. A terrible fire once raged in Constantinople, but did not damage the church or the new building. Through the prayers of Saint Sampson, a heavy rain extinguished the flames. appointed Scriptural readings for his Feast are from Galatians 5:23-6:2 and from Luke 12:32-40. the prayers of Saint Sampson, may we also find the treasure which does not fail, in Heaven.

Constantinople, 537, Niketas the Hidden, Niketas the Chartolarian had removed sin from both living and dead
Constantinople, 537, Niketas the Hidden, Niketas the Chartolarian; Hagia Sophia, 537; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead.

Constantinople, 540's, 13 Assyrian Fathers (under St John of Zedazeni)
Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; Thirteen Assyrian Fathers were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of monastic missionaries who arrived from Mesopotamia to Georgia to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several monasteries and hermitages and initiation of the ascetic movement in Georgia.[1][2] lives of the Assyrian Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these vitae are formalities composed for an 18th-century synaxary, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian Catholicoi Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.[3] monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity.[3] written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees — monophysite or diophysite — from Syria, from which monophysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily monophysite at that time.[3] in Iberia where the fathers served Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: Davit Garejeli / David of Gareja Ioane Zedazneli / John of Zedazeni Abibos Nekreseli / Abibos of Nekresi Shio Mgvimeli / Shio of Mgvime Ioseb Alaverdeli / Joseph of Alaverdi Anton Martkopeli / Anton of Martkopi Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli / Thaddeus of Stepantsminda Piros Breteli / Pyrrhus of Breti Iese Tsilkneli / Jesse of Tsilkani Stepane Khirseli / Stephen of Khirsa Isidore Samtavneli / Isidor of Samtavisi Mikael Ulumboeli / Michael of Ulumbo Zenon Ikaltoeli / Zenon of Ikalto Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St. David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Constantinople, 540-562, Persian Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake
Persia, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Constantinople, 552-565, Eutychius, Patriarch, against Justinian's Aphthartodocetae, exiled t Amasya, Pontine
Constantinople Patriarch, 552-565, Eutychius of Constantinople; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Eutychius, Archbishop of Constantinople, was born in a village called “Divine” in the province of Phrygia. His father Alexander was a soldier, and his mother Synesia was the daughter of the priest Hesychius of Augustopolis. Saint Eutychius received the first rudiments of his education and a Christian upbringing from his grandfather the priest. while playing a childhood game, the boy wrote his own name with the title of Patriarch. By this he seemed to predict his future service. He was sent to Constantinople at age twelve for further education. The youth persevered in his study of science and realized that human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the study of divine Revelation. Therefore, he decided to dedicate himself to monastic life. Saint Eutychius withdrew into one of the Amasean monasteries and received the angelic schema. For his strict life he was made archimandrite of all the Amasean monasteries, and in 552 was appointed to the Patriarchal throne. the Fifth Ecumenical Council prepared to assemble during the reign of the holy emperor Justinian (527-565), the Metropolitan of Amasea was ill and he sent Saint Eutychius in his place. At Constantinople the aged Patriarch Saint Menas (August 25) saw Saint Eutychius and predicted that he would be the next Patriarch. After the death of the holy Patriarch Menas, the Apostle Peter appeared in a vision to the emperor Justinian and, pointing his hand at Eutychius, said, “Let him be made your bishop.” the very beginning of his patriarchal service, Saint Eutychius convened the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), at which the Fathers condemned the heresies cropping up and anathematized them. However, after several years a new heresy arose in the Church: Aphthartodocetism [asartodoketai] or “imperishability” which taught that the flesh of Christ, before His death on the Cross and Resurrection, was imperishable and not capable of suffering. Eutychius vigorously denounced this heresy, but the emperor Justinian himself inclined toward it, and turned his wrath upon the saint. By order of the emperor, soldiers seized the saint in the church, removed his patriarchal vestments, and sent him into exile to an Amasean monastery (565). saint bore his banishment with meekness, and lived at the monastery in fasting and prayer, and he worked many miracles and healings. through his prayer the wife of a devout man, Androgenes, who had given birth only to dead infants, now gave birth to two sons who lived to maturity. Two deaf-mutes received the gift of speech; and two grievously ill children were restored to health. The saint healed a cancerous ulcer on the hand of an artist. The saint also healed another artist, anointing his diseased hand with oil and making over it the Sign of the Cross. saint healed not only bodily, but also spiritual afflictions: he banished the devil out of a girl that had kept her from Holy Communion; he expelled a demon from a youth who had fled from a monastery (after which the youth returned to his monastery); he healed a drunken leper, who stopped drinking after being cleansed of his leprosy. the Persian invasion of Amasea and its widespread devastation, they distributed grain to the hungry from the monastery granaries on the saint’s orders, and by his prayers, the stores of grain at the monastery were not depleted. Eutychius received from God the gift of prophecy. He revealed the names of two of Emperor Justinian’s successors: Justin (565-578) and Tiberias (578-582). the death of the holy Patriarch John Scholastikos, Saint Eutychius returned to the cathedra in 577 after his twelve year exile, and he again wisely ruled his flock. Four and a half years after his return to the Patriarchal throne, in 582, Saint Eutychius gathered together all his clergy on Thomas Sunday, blessed them, and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Constantinople, 553 and 787, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by miracles in the city of Sozopolis, but its origin is unknown. Saint Germanus, the Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12), mentions “the icon of the All-Pure Virgin Mother of God at Pisidian Sozopolis” in his letters on the veneration of icons which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. He said that “myrrh flowed from the hands,” and described the icon as “ancient.” miracles of the icon date back to the sixth century. One of the miracles was reported by the presbyter Eustathius, who was a contemporary of Patriarch Eutychius (April 6). At Amasea, near Sozopolis, there was a certain married couple, whose children were all stillborn. Grieving over their misfortune, they turned to Patriarch Eutychius for advice. Saint Eutychius prayed and anointed them with holy oil from the Cross of the Lord and from the holy icon of the Mother of God saying, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Name your child Peter, and he will live,” he said to them. Soon the couple gave birth to a son whom they did indeed name Peter. Later, they had a second son, whom they named John. The people of the city glorified God when they heard of this miracle. about 600 years myrrh flowed from the Pisidian Icon of the Mother of God – Eleusius, a disciple of Saint Theodore the Sykeote (April 22), was a witness to this. A copy of this ancient wonderworking icon was made in Russia in 1608, at Moscow’s Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery. The Mother of God is depicted with the Divine Infant on Her left arm, and with Her right hand She gives a blessing. St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Constantinople, 553, Fifth Ecumenical Council, against the Three Chapters (against Nestorianism)
Constantinople, Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), Second Council of Constantinople; Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and recognition of it are varied. Some Protestants, such as Calvinists, recognize the first four councils,[2] whereas Lutherans accept the first six, and most Anglo-Catholics accept all seven. II was convoked by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I under the presidency of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople. was held from 5 May to 2 June 553. Participants were overwhelmingly Eastern bishops—only sixteen Western bishops were present, including nine from Illyricum and seven from Africa, but none from Italy—out of the 152 total.[1][3] main work of the council was to confirm the condemnation issued by edict in 551 by the Emperor Justinian against the Three Chapters. These were the Christological writings and ultimately the person of Theodore of Mopsuestia (died 428), certain writings against Cyril of Alexandria's Twelve Anathemas accepted at the Council of Ephesus, written by Theodoret of Cyrrhus (died c. 466), and a letter written against Cyrillianism and the Ephesian Council by Ibas of Edessa (died 457).[4] purpose of the condemnation was to make plain that the Great Church, which followed a Chalcedonian creed, was firmly opposed to Nestorianism as supported by the Antiochene school which had either assisted Nestorius, the eponymous heresiarch, or had inspired the teaching for which he was anathematized and exiled. The council also condemned the teaching that Mary could not be rightly called the Mother of God (Greek: Theotokos) but only the mother of the man (anthropotokos) or the mother of Christ (Christotokos).[4] hoped that this would contribute to a reunion between the Chalcedonians and monophysites in the eastern provinces of the Empire. Various attempts at reconciliation between these parties within the Byzantine Empire were made by many emperors over the four centuries following the Council of Ephesus, none of them successful. Some attempts at reconciliation, such as this one, the condemnation of the Three Chapters and the unprecedented posthumous anathematization of Theodore—who had once been widely esteemed as a pillar of orthodoxy—causing further schisms and heresies to arise in the process, such as the aforementioned schism of the Three Chapters and the emergent semi-monophysite compromises of monoenergism and monotheletism. These propositions assert, respectively, that Christ possessed no human energy but only a divine function or principle of operation (purposefully formulated in an equivocal and vague manner, and promulgated between 610 and 622 by the Emperor Heraclius under the advice of Patriarch Sergius I of Constantinople) and that Christ possessed no human will but only a divine will, "will" being understood to mean the desires and appetites in accord with the nature (promulgated in 638 by the same and opposed most notably by Maximus the Confessor).[4] St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Constantinople, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Saint, Pope of Rome
Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ;

Byzantium, 565-574, Emperor, Justin II, Younger, lost Italy, war w Sassanid Empire, mental breakdown
Byzantine Emperor, 565-574, Justin II, the Younger; II or Justin the Younger (c. 520 – 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 to 574. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of the Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. reign was marked by war with the Sassanid Empire, and the loss of the greater part of Italy. He presented the Cross of Justin II to Saint Peter's, Rome. Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5;

Constantinople, 565-601, Melitene, Armenia, widowed, monk, holy life, bishop, miracles, commissions in Persia, distributed gifts to poor
Armenia, 565-601, Melitene, Armenia, widowed, monk, holy life, bishop, miracles, commissions in Persia, distributed rich gifts to the poor; Malatya; Saint Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, was born and lived during the sixth century, in the time of the emperor Justin the Younger. He was married but was widowed, and thereafter he became a monk and lived a strict and holy life. thirty years of age he was chosen bishop of the city of Melitene (in Armenia). and zealous in questions of faith, strong in word and deed, Saint Dometian quickly gained fame as a good and dedicated pastor. than once he carried out government commissions in Persia to avoid conflict with the Greeks. Beloved by all, Saint Dometian often received rich gifts, which he distributed to the poor. Both during his life and after his death in 601, Saint Dometian was glorified by God with miracles.

Byzantium, 574-582, Emperor, Tiberius II Constantine, adopted son, before breakdown,
Byzantine Emperor, 574-582, Tiberius II Constantine ; II Constantine (520 – 14 August 582) was Eastern Roman emperor from 574 to 582. rose to power in 574 when Justin II, prior to a mental breakdown, proclaimed Tiberius Caesar and adopted him as his own son. In 578, Justin II, before he died, gave him the title of Augustus, under which title he reigned until his death on 14 August 582. Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24;

Constantinople, 580-608, Eulogius of Alexandria, Patriarch
Byzantine Patriarch, 580-608, Eulogius of Alexandria; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13;

Byzantium, 582-602, Emperor, Mauricius, Orthodox, successful, Persia, Lombards, Danube
Byzantine Emperor 582-602, Mauricius ; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597);

Byzantium, 582-602, Emperor, Maurice, Orthodox, successful, with Chores II, Killed by Phocus
Byzantine Emperor 582-602, Mauricius ; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597);

Constantinople, 582-595, John IV the Faster, Patriarch, by example he taught restraint of desires, and self control
Constantinople Patriarch, 582-595, John IV the Faster ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Father John was born in Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. At first he worked as a goldsmith, and everyone expected him to continue in that occupation. From his youth, however, he was inclined toward the monastic life. He also possessed a rare gift for continence and a natural love for fasting, and thus he was known as “the Faster.” of his reputation for virtue, he was ordained as a deacon by Patriarch John III, and later he received the grace of the priesthood. Saint John was found worthy to behold a vision which showed that he would become be a worthy recipient of God’s grace, for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock. He read the Holy Scriptures and other ecclesiastical books every day, thereby enriching his knowledge. when he was a young man, John was walking with Eusebius, an old monk from Palestine. Suddenly, a bodiless voice spoke to Eusebius: “Abba, do not walk to the right of the great John.” It was the voice of God, foretelling the great service to which John would shortly be called. the death of Patriarch Eutychius, Saint John was chosen to succeed him. He did not want to accept the office, but he was frightened by a heavenly vision, and so he consented. the example of his own life he taught all believers to restrain their capricious desires and to control themselves. The hierarch was unable to abide his flock’s blatant disregard for the institutions of the Church. the citizens of Constantinople decided to give in to their passions by attending a horse show in the Hippodrome on eve of the Feast of Pentecost, the hierarch fell on his knees before God and fervently prayed that the Lord would thwart their impious intention. As soon as the people began to make their way to the Hippodrome, a terrible storm arose with thunder, rain and hailstones so that everyone dispersed in fear and came to realize the inappropriateness of such entertainment. John was Patriarch of Constantinople from 582 - 595, and was the first to use the title “Ecumenical Patriarch.” was a great faster, intercessor and wonderworker right up to the time of his death. Distinguished for his abstinence and prayer, Saint John had such a love for the poor that he refused them nothing from his estate. After his death, his only personal possessions were found to be a wooden spoon, a linen shirt and an old garment. His writings on repentance and Confession are well known. a virtuous life of piety, during which he performed many miracles, Saint John reposed on September 2, 595. His grace-filled relics were entombed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. Saint John is also commemorated on August 30. St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Constantinople, 590-604, Gregory the Great, declared oecumenical (exclusive) popes the Antichrist
Roman Pope, 590-604, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, Byzantine Saint; Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Constantinople, 590-604, Gregory I, Roman Pope, Gregory Dialogus, the Great, monolingual during his time
Roman Pope, 590-604, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, Byzantine Saint; Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Constantinople, 595-606, Cyriacus II, Patriarch, used term oecumenical bishop, meaning exclusive
Constantinople Patriarch, 595-606, Cyriacus II of Constantinople; (? – 29 October 606) was the thirtieth Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (595–606). He was previously presbyter and steward, oikonomos, of the great church at Constantinople (Chronicon Paschale, p. 378). Gregory the Great received the legates bearing the synodal letters which announced his consecration, partly from a desire not to disturb the peace of the church, and partly from the personal respect which he entertained for Cyriac; but in his reply he warned him against the sin of causing divisions in the church, clearly alluding to the use of the term oecumenical bishop, which Gregory interpreted as meaning "universal" or even "exclusive" bishop (Gregory, Ep. lib. vii. 4, Patrologia Latina lxxvii. 853). The personal feelings of Gregory towards Cyriac appear most friendly. did not attend to Gregory's entreaties that he abstain from using the title, for Gregory wrote afterwards both to him and to the emperor Maurice, declaring that he could not allow his legates to remain in communion with Cyriac as long as he retained it. In the latter of these letters he compares the assumption of the title to the sin of Antichrist, since both exhibit a spirit of lawless pride. "Quisquis se universalem sacerdotem vocat, vel vocari desiderat, in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit" (whosoever calls himself universal priest, or desires to be called so, is the forerunner of the Antichrist) (Gregory Ep. 28, 30). In a letter to Anastasius I of Antioch, who had written to him to remonstrate against disturbing the peace of the church, Gregory defends his conduct on the ground of the injury which Cyriac had done to all other patriarchs by the assumption of the title, and reminds Anastasius that not only heretics but heresiarchs had before this been patriarchs of Constantinople. He also deprecates the use of the term on more general grounds (Ep. 24). In spite of all this Cyriacus was firm in his retention of the title, and appears to have summoned, or to have meditated summoning, a council to authorize its use. For in 599 Gregory wrote to Eusebius of Thessalonica and some other bishops, stating that he had heard they were about to be summoned to a council at Constantinople, and most urgently entreating them to yield neither to force nor to persuasion, but to be steadfast in their refusal to recognize the offensive title (ib. lib. ix. 68 in Patr. Lat.). appears to have shared in that unpopularity of the emperor Maurice which caused his deposition and death (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6094; Niceph. Callis. H. E. xviii. 40; Theophylact. Hist. viii. 9). still, however, had influence enough to exact from Phocas at his coronation a confession of the orthodox faith and a pledge not to disturb the church (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6094). also nobly resisted the attempt of Phocas to drag the empress Constantina and her daughters from their sanctuary in a church of Constantinople (ibid., A.M. 6098). some resentment at this opposition to his will may have induced Phocas to accede more readily to the claims of Pope Boniface III that Rome should be considered to be the head of all the church, in exclusion of the claims of Constantinople to the oecumenical bishopric (Vita Bonifacii III, in Labbe, Acta Concil. t. v. 1615). died in 606, and was interred in the church of the Holy Apostles (Chronicon Paschale, p. 381). He appears to have been a man of remarkable piety and earnestness, able to win the esteem of all parties. He built a church dedicated to the theotokos in a street of Constantinople called Diaconissa (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6090; Niceph. Callis. H. E. xviii. 42). St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Constantinople, 599, Miraculous Transfer Bartholomew's Relics Trebizond, Armenia, Black Sea to Lipari Island, Sicily
Lipari, Italy ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Constantinople, 600, 7th Century-1453, Folder, Byzantine Period after Islam, Iconoclasts

Constantinople, 600-699, Folder, 7th Century, Monotheites

Constantinople, 601-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus, Sinai, Egypt
Egypt, 600-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â; Commemorated on March 30;

Constantinople, 601-662, Saint Maximus the Confessor, against Monotheism, tounge and right hand mutilated
Byzantium, 600-662, Saint Maximus the Confessor; the Confessor (Greek: ÎœÎ¬Î¾Î¹Î¼Î¿Ï‚ á½ á½‰Î¼Î¿Î»Î¿Î³Î·Ï„Î®Ï‚), also known as Maximus the Theologian and Maximus of Constantinople (c. 580 – 13 August 662), was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar. his early life, Maximus was a civil servant, and an aide to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. He gave up this life in the political sphere to enter the monastic life. had studied diverse schools of philosophy, and certainly what was common for his time, the Platonic dialogues, the works of Aristotle, and numerous later Platonic commentators on Aristotle and Plato, like Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. When one of his friends began espousing the Christological position known as Monothelitism, Maximus was drawn into the controversy, in which he supported an interpretation of the Chalcedonian formula on the basis of which it was asserted that Jesus had both a human and a divine will. Maximus is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. He was eventually persecuted for his Christological positions; following a trial, his tongue and right hand were mutilated. was then exiled and died on 13 August 662, in Tsageri in present-day Georgia. However, his theology was upheld by the Third Council of Constantinople and he was venerated as a saint soon after his death. It is highly uncommon among the saints that he has two feast days: 13 August and 21 January. His title of "Confessor" means that he suffered for the Christian faith, but was not directly martyred. St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ;

Byzantium, 602-610, Emperor, Phocas, Rebel, Killed, then Killed by, incompetent
Byzantine Emperor 602-610, Phocas; Phocas (547-“ 5 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. early life of Phocas is largely unknown, but he rose to prominence in 602, as a leader in the revolt against Emperor Maurice. captured Constantinople and overthrew Maurice on 23 November 602, and declared himself emperor on the same day. deeply mistrusted the elite of Constantinople, and therefore installed his relatives in high military positions, and brutally purged his opponents. is widely regarded as an incompetent leader, both of the administration and army. his reign the Byzantine Empire was threatened by multiple enemies, with frequent raids in the Balkans from the Avars and Slavs, and a Sassanid invasion of the eastern provinces. of Phocas' incompetence and brutality, the Exarch of Africa, Heraclius the Elder, rebelled against him. Heraclius the Elder's son, Heraclius, succeeded in taking Constantinople on 5 October 610, and executed Phocas on the same day, before declaring himself the emperor. St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ;

Constantinople, 602-628, Byzantine-Persian War of 602-“628
Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12;

Constantinople, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria, Patriarch, many examples of mercy, against Monophysite h
Egyptian Patriarch, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria ; Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, was born on Cyprus in the seventh century into the family of the illustrious dignitary Epiphanius. At the wish of his parents he entered into marriage and had children. When the wife and the children of the saint died, he became a monk. He was zealous in fasting and prayer, and had great love for those around him. spiritual exploits won him honor among men, and even the emperor revered him. When the Patriarchal throne of Alexandria fell vacant, the emperor Heraclius and all the clergy begged Saint John to occupy the Patriarchal throne. saint worthily assumed his archpastoral service, concerning himself with the moral and dogmatic welfare of his flock. As patriarch he denounced every soul-destroying heresy, and drove out from Alexandria the Monophysite Phyllonos of Antioch. considered his chief task to be charitable and to give help all those in need. At the beginning of his patriarchal service he ordered his stewards to compile a list of all the poor and downtrodden in Alexandria, which turned out to be over seven thousand men. The saint ordered that all of these unfortunates be provided for each day out of the church’s treasury. during the week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, he emerged from the doors of the patriarchal cathedral, and sitting on the church portico, he received everyone in need. He settled quarrels, helped the wronged, and distributed alms. Three times a week he visited the sick-houses, and rendered assistance to the suffering. was during this period that the emperor Heraclius led a tremendous army against the Persian emperor Chosroes II. The Persians ravaged and burned Jerusalem, taking a multitude of captives. The holy Patriarch John gave a large portion of the church treasury for their ransom. saint never refused suppliants. One day, when the saint was visiting the sick, he met a beggar and commanded that he be given six silver coins. The beggar changed his clothes, ran on ahead of the Patriarch, and again asked for alms. Saint John gave him six more silver coins. however, the beggar sought charity a third time, and the servants began to chase the fellow away, the Patriarch ordered that he be given twelve pieces of silver, saying, he is Christ putting me to the test. the saint gave money to a merchant that had suffered shipwreck, and a third time gave him a ship belonging to the Patriarchate and filled with grain, with which the merchant had a successful journey and repaid his obligations. John the Merciful was known for his gentle attitude towards people. the saint was compelled to excommunicate two clergymen for a certain time because of some offense. of them repented, but the other fellow became angry with the Patriarch and fell into greater sins. saint wanted to summon him and calm him with kind words, but it slipped his mind. he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the saint was suddenly reminded by the words of the Gospel: “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar ... first, be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt. 5:23-24). saint came out of the altar, called the offending clergyman to him, and falling down on his knees before him in front of all the people he asked forgiveness. The cleric, filled with remorse, repented of his sin, corrected himself, and afterwards was found worthy to be ordained to the priesthood. was a time when a certain citizen insulted George, the Patriarch’s nephew. George asked the saint to avenge the wrong. The saint promised to deal with the offender so that all of Alexandria would marvel at what he had done. This calmed George, and Saint John began to instruct him, speaking of the necessity for meekness and humility. Then he summoned the man who insulted George. When Saint John learned that the man lived in a house owned by the church, he declared that he would excuse him from paying rent for an entire year. Alexandria indeed was amazed by such a “revenge,” and George learned from his uncle how to forgive offenses and to bear insults for God’s sake. John, a strict ascetic and man of prayer, was always mindful of his soul, and of death. He ordered a coffin for himself, but told the craftsmen not to finish it. Instead, he would have them come each feastday and ask if it was time to finish the work. John was persuaded to accompany the governor Nicetas on a visit to the emperor in Constantinople. While on his way to visit the earthly king, he dreamed of a resplendent man who said to him, “The King of Kings summons you.” He sailed to his native island of Cyprus, and at Amanthos the saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord (616-620). Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22;

Constantinople, 607-610, Thomas I, Patriarch, ominous portent, heavy crosses shake & strike each other, then disasters
Constantinople Patriarch, 607-610, Thomas I ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople, was at first a deacon, and later under the holy Patriarch John IV the Faster (582-595) he was made “sakellarios” [sacristan] in the Great Church (Hagia Sophia). After the death of holy Patriarch Cyriacus (595-606), Saint Thomas was elevated to the Patriarchal throne in 607. The saint concerned himself in every possible way about the spiritual needs of his flock. the patriarchate of Saint Thomas, an ominous portent appeared in the land of Galatia (Asia Minor). The heavy crosses which were carried during church processions began to shake and to strike against each other. The clairvoyant Elder, Saint Theodore Sykeotes (April 22), explained the meaning of this portent. He said that discords and disasters awaited the Church, and the state was in danger of barbarian invasion. Hearing this, the saint became terrified and asked Saint Theodore to pray that God would take his soul before these predictions were fulfilled. the death of the holy Patriarch Thomas in 610, disorders started in the Church. Saint Thomas’s successor, Patriarch Sergius (610-638), fell into the Monothelite heresy. Through God’s dispensation, war broke out with Persia, which proved grievous for Byzantium. The Greek regions of Asia Minor were completely devastated, Jerusalem fell, and the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord was captured and taken to Persia. Thus, all the misfortunes portended by the miracle during the church procession came to pass. St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22;

Constantinople, 610, St Eustolia, from Rome, Constantinople monastic, people came to her for advice and consolation
Rome; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Eustolia, a native of Rome, had come to Constantinople and entered one of the women’s monasteries. virtuous and strict monastic life of the saint gained her the love and respect of the sisters. Not only monastics, but also many laypeople came to her for advice and consolation. Eustolia died in the year 610.

Byzantium, 610-641, Emperor Heraclius, Monothelite, K Phocus, Persia to C then 627, Muslim Cs
Byzantine Emperor 610-641, Heraclius ; (Greek: Iraklios; c. 575 - February 11, 641) was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas. reign was marked by several military campaigns. The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. Heraclius immediately took charge of the Byzantine-“Sasanian War of 602-“628. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines; the Persian army fought their way to the Bosphorus but Constantinople was protected by impenetrable walls and a strong navy, and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. Heraclius drove the Persians out of Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the Battle of Nineveh. The Persian king Khosrow II was overthrown and executed by his son Kavad II, who soon sued for a peace treaty, agreeing to withdraw from all occupied territory. This way peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires. lost many of his newly regained lands to the Muslim conquests. Emerging from the Arabian Peninsula, the Muslims quickly conquered the Sasanian Empire. In 634 the Muslims marched into Roman Syria, defeating Heraclius's brother Theodore. Within a short period of time, the Arabs conquered Mesopotamia, Armenia and Egypt. entered diplomatic relations with the Croats and Serbs in the Balkans. He tried to repair the schism in the Christian church in regard to the Monophysites, by promoting a compromise doctrine called Monothelitism. The Church of the East (commonly called Nestorian) was also involved in the process.[1] Eventually this project of unity was rejected by all sides of the dispute. Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16;

Constantinople, 610-638, Patriarch, Sergius I, Monothelite
Constantinople Patriarch, 610-638, Sergius I, Monothelite ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ; holy icon is also called the HodÄ“gá¸—tria, or “She who leads the way.â€ It was with this icon that Patriarch Sergius (610-631) made the rounds of the walls of Constantinople in the year 626 with Moliebens during a siege of the capital by the Avars.

Constantinople, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, sleep, repose of both body and soul
Phyriga, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, down to sleep, repose of both body and soul; Galatia; St Antiochus, Commemorated December 24 ; Antiochus was from Galatia, and lived during the reign of Heraclius (610-641). witnessed the martyrdom of the monks of Saint Savva’s Monastery (May 16) by the Saracens, and recorded their sufferings. also wrote another book, called Pandect of the Scriptures. Divided into 130 chapters, the book examines the moral teachings of the Holy Scriptures. quote attributed to Saint Antiochus is found in the Evergetinos (Book 3:39). One of his best-known prayers is recited during Compline, “And grant us, Master, as we lay down to sleep, repose of both body and soul....”

Constantinople, 614, Chozroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Jerusalem, 614, Chozroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Byzantine “Sasanian War of 602-“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

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

Constantinople, 638-641, Patriarch, Pyrrhus of Constantinople, Monotheite converted to Othodox
Constantinople, 638-641, Patriarch, Pyrrhus of Constantinople; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13;

Byzantium, 641-641, Emperor, Constantine III, tuberculosis
Byzantine Emperor 641-641, Constantine III; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30;

Byzantium, 641-641, Emperor, Heraklonas, mutilated and exiled by a general
Byzantine Emperor 641-641, Heraklonas; Heraclius ( 626-“641), commonly known by the diminutive Heraklonas or Herakleonas. was the son of Heraclius and his niece Martina. father had stipulated in his will that both of his sons, Heraklonas and Constantine III, should rule jointly upon his death. Heraclius also specified that his wife, Martina, was to be called "Mother and Empress" insofar as she might have influence at court as well.[2] The emperor Heraclius died in February 641 from edema. Martina did make the late Emperor's will public she faced staunch resistance to her playing any active role in government, but both Heraklonas and Constantine were proclaimed joint-emperors in February 641 without incident. Constantine died of tuberculosis in April/May 641, Heraklonas became sole emperor, under the regency of his mother due to his young age. He reigned from April/May -“ September/October 641, when he was overthrown by Valentinus, a general and usurper of Armenian extract, who installed Constans II, the son of Constantine III. Valentinus had Heraklonas' nose cut off, then exiled him to Rhodes, where he is believed to have died in the same year. Byzantine Emperor 641-641, Constantine III; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30;

Byzantium, 641-668, Emperor, Constans II, Monotheite
Byzantine Emperor 641-668, Constans II; II ( 7 November 630 – 15 September 668), also called Constantine the Bearded, was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 641 to 668. was the last emperor to serve as consul, in 642.[1][2] is a nickname given to the Emperor, who had been baptized Herakleios and reigned officially as Constantine. The nickname established itself in Byzantine texts and has become standard in modern historiography. Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Constantinople, 641-654, Patriarch, Paul, Monothelite
Constantinople, 641-654, Patriarch, Paul, Monothelite; St. Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Constantinople, 650, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Persian, Omar, vision St Shio w angels, converted, stoned
Georgia, 650, Urbnisi, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin; Urbnisi; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; holy hieromartyr Neophytus of Urbnisi descended from a line of Persian fire-worshippers. the 7th century, by order of the Saracen emir Mumni, the military leader Ahmad attacked Georgia with an enormous army. After overrunning the central part of Shida (Inner) Kartli, Ahmad dispatched two of his commanders, Omar and Burul, to the capital city of Mtskheta. At the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, across from the village of Tsikhedidi in the rocky Sarkineti region, the invaders discovered a group of caves and plotted to occupy them. They tried to cross the Mtkvari but were unable. suffered a setback, the enemies asked their captives what was located in those caves. They were told that this was the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, where dwelt God’s chosen, who had deprived themselves of every earthly blessing. at this reply, the commanders decided to pass this information on to Ahmad. Then, as though it were commonplace, Ahmad sent Omar to the monastery to ask the monks to pray for him and remember him at the grave of their abbot, Saint Shio. “Pray for me, O slaves of God, and accept these gifts of aloe and incense. Offer these as a sacrifice to your abbot,” he told them. the monastery caves, Omar sent a messenger to inform the monks that he was coming to them in peace and bearing gifts. Drawing near to the monastery gates, the commander saw an army of incorporeal hosts descending from the heavens and among them an elder, radiant with a great light. meek and modest behavior of the monks left a great impression on Omar. He soon understood that the strange armies he had seen on the steps of the monastery were angels of God and that the elder was Saint Shio of Mgvime, abbot of the monastery. He related his vision to the monks and vowed to return to them, receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism, be tonsured a monk, and remain there to join in their holy labors. Omar abandoned all his possessions, his military rank, and his wealth and was baptized in the Christian Faith at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery as he had promised. of his slaves were baptized with him as well. Omar received the new name Neophytus (Newly Planted / From the Greek word neophytos, which in I Tim. 3:6 refers to a new convert), and his slaves became Christodoulus (Christ’s Slave) and Christopher (Christ-bearer). to God’s will, Saint Neophytus was consecrated bishop of Urbnisi, and all were amazed at his wisdom and steadfastness. He was a true father to his flock: “He strengthened the weak, healed the sick, raised the fallen, cleansed the possessed, directed the lost and sought out those who were perishing, protecting them, and forbidding them to wander off again.” the enemy could not tolerate the native Persian’s apostolic activity, and he convinced the fire-worshippers to kill the Christian shepherd. So the unbelievers devised an ambush and attacked Neophytus’ isolated cell, then tied him up and began to mock, curse, and revile him. They knew that Saint Neophytus longed to become like the holy protomartyr Stephen, and they plotted to stone him to death. his time to depart this world had arrived, Saint Neophytus turned to his persecutors with a tender voice, saying, “Sweet is death to me, O unbelievers! Sweet it is to me. I desire to sunder the link between my mortal and immortal nature.... With my own blood I will confirm the Holy Church, which is founded upon the Precious Blood of the Son and Word of God, Whom I preach. May that which was foreordained for me by the Providence of God be fulfilled, for He has called me to His light from the depths of ungodliness!” furious pagans stoned the saint to death. With his last breath Holy Hieromartyr Neophytus cried out, “Lord Jesus Christ receive my soul!”

Byzantium, 668-685, Emperor, Constantine IV, checked islamic expansion, ended Monotheism, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor 668-685, Constantine IV ; IV ( c. 652 -“ 14 September 685), called the Younger (Greek: )[1][2] and sometimes incorrectly Pogonatos (Greek: "the Bearded") out of confusion with his father,[3] was Byzantine Emperor from 668 to 685. reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years of uninterrupted Islamic expansion, while his calling of the Sixth Ecumenical Council saw the end of the monothelitism controversy in the Byzantine Empire. St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23; St Agathon the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ;

Constantinople, 674-678, First Arab Muslim Siege of Constantinople
Constantinople, 674-678, First Arab Muslim Siege of Constantinople ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ;

Constantinople, 676-679, 683-686, Theodore I , Patriarch, Arab seige of C
Constantinople Patriarch, 676-679, 683-686, Theodore I of Constantinople ; I (? -“ 28 January 687) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 677 to 679. He had been preceded by Constantine I of Constantinople.[1] During this cataclysmic period, the Byzantine military overcame the Arab incursion against its walls in the Arab siege of Constantinople (674-678). He was emphatically succeeded by His All-Holliness Patriarch George I of Constantinople.[2] St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ;

Constantinople, 680, Sixth Ecumenical Council, condemned monotheism, Jesus two wills and energies, devine and human
Sixth Ecumenical Council (680); Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council[1] by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical and defined Jesus Christ as having two energies and two wills (divine and human).[2] Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Byzantium, 685-711, Emperor, Justinian II, deposed in 695, r 705, overthrown 711, lost nose, k by his army
Byzantine Emperor, 685-711, Justinian II; II (668/9 - 4 November 711), surnamed Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus (the slit-nosed), was the last Byzantine emperor of the Heraclian dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711. Justinian I, Justinian II was an ambitious and passionate ruler who was keen to restore the Roman Empire to its former glories, but he responded brutally to any opposition to his will and lacked the finesse of his father, Constantine IV.[4] he generated enormous opposition to his reign, resulting in his deposition in 695 in a popular uprising, and he only returned to the throne in 705 with the help of a Bulgar and Slav army. His second reign was even more despotic than the first, and it too saw his eventual overthrow in 711, abandoned by his army who turned on him before killing him. Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Constantinople, 692, Council of Trullo, pre christian religious practices, rituals, practices, Eucharist, liturgy
Council of Trullo; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated January 23 ;

Constantinople, 693-705, Callinicus I, Patriarch, resisted demolition of a Blachernae church, Justinian II lost his nose
Constantinople Patriarch, 693-705, Callinicus I of Constantinople; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Callinicus, Patriarch of Constantinople (693-705), was at first a presbyter in the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae, but in 693 with the death of Patriarch Paul (686-693), he was elevated to the episcopal throne of Constantinople. The cruel Justinian II (685-695) reigned at this time. He undertook the construction of a palace very near the church of the Most Holy Theotokos and decided to demolish it. The emperor ordered Patriarch Callinicus to give his blessing for tearing it down. The patriarch replied that he had prayers only for the building of churches, not their destruction. When the church was demolished, he cried out with tears, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, in enduring all things.” the wrath of God befell Justinian. He was toppled from the throne and sent for imprisonment to Cherson, where they cut off his nose (from which he received the nickname “Short-nose”). Leontius (695-698) succeeded him on the throne.

Byzantium, 695-698, Emperor, Leonti, d Umyyds for J II, d by U's, jail by II till 695, d 697, cut nose and tongue, ex
Byzantine Emperor, 695-698, Leontios ; or Leontius (660 – August 705/February 706), sometimes enumerated as Leontius II,[n 1] was Byzantine emperor from 695 to 698. is known of his early life, other than that he was born in Isauria in Asia Minor. He was given the title of patrikios, and made strategos of the Anatolic Theme under Emperor Constantine IV. He led forces against the Umayyads during the early years of Justinian II's reign, securing victory and forcing the Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, to sue for peace. 692, Justinian declared war upon the Umayyads again, and sent Leontios to campaign against them. However, he was defeated decisively at the Battle of Sebastopolis, and imprisoned by Justinian for his failure. was released in 695, and given the title of strategos of the Theme of Hellas in Southern Greece. After being released, he led a rebellion against Justinian, and seized power, becoming emperor in the same year. ruled until 697, when he was overthrown by Apsimar, a droungarios who had taken part in a failed expedition that had been launched by Leontios to recover Carthage. seizing Constantinople, Apsimar took the name Tiberius (III),[n 2] and had Leontios' nose and tongue cut off. He was sent to the Monastery of Dalmatou, where he remained until some time between August 705 and February 706. By this time Justinian had retaken the throne. Both Leontios and Tiberius were executed. St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23;

Byzantium, 695-717, Emperor, Twenty Years Anarchy
Byzantine Emperor, 695-717, Twenty Years Anarchy ; or Philippicus was Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 711 to 713. was originally named Bardanes; he was the son of the patrician Nikephorus, who was of Armenian extraction from an Armenian colony in Pergamum.[1] Relying on the support of the Monothelite party, he made some pretensions to the throne on the outbreak of the first great rebellion against Emperor Justinian II; these led to his relegation to Cephalonia by Tiberius Apsimarus, and subsequently to his banishment to Cherson by order of Justinian. Here Bardanes, taking the name of Philippicus, successfully incited the inhabitants to revolt with the help of the Khazars. The successful rebels seized Constantinople, and Justinian fled; Philippikos took the throne. Justinian was subsequently seized and beheaded; his son Tiberius was likewise apprehended by Philippikos's officers, Ioannes and Mauros, and killed in a church. Justinian's principal officers, such as Barasbakourios, were also massacred. his first acts were the deposition of the orthodox patriarch Cyrus of Constantinople, in favour of John VI, a member of his own sect, and the summoning of a conciliabulum of Eastern bishops, which abolished the canons of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. In response the Roman Church refused to recognize the new Emperor and his patriarch. Meanwhile, Tervel of Bulgaria plundered up to the walls of Constantinople in 712. When Philippicus transferred an army from the Opsikion theme to police the Balkans, the Umayyad Caliphate under Al-Walid I made inroads across the weakened defenses of Asia Minor. late May 713 the Opsikion troops rebelled in Thrace. Several of their officers penetrated the city and blinded Philippicus on June 3, 713 while he was in the hippodrome.[2] He was succeeded for a short while by his principal secretary, Artemius, who was raised to the purple as Emperor Anastasius II. He died in the same year. St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Constantinople, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus, Iconodule
Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Handsâ€: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.â€ (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,â€ which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meetâ€ in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Handsâ€ in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage. Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12;

Constantinople, 700-799, Folder, 8th Century, Iconoclasts, Iconodules

Constantinople, 715-730, Patriarch, Germanus I of Constantinople, eunuch, iconodule, writer, hymnographer
Constantinople Patriarch, 715-730, Germanus I of Constantinople; I (c. 634 -733 or 740) was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 715 to 730. He is regarded as a saint, by both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, with a feast day of 12 May.[1] He had been ecumenically preceded by Patriarch John VI of Constantinople, and was succeeded in Orthodox rite by patriarch Constantine II of Constantinople.[2] to Theophanes the Confessor, Germanus was a son of patrician Justinian, who was executed in 668.[3] Justinian was reportedly involved in the murder of Constans II and usurpation of the throne by Mezezius. Constantine IV, son of Constans II, defeated his rival and punished the supporters of Mezezius. Germanus survived the persecutions, but was made a eunuch by the victors.[4] was sent to a monastery. He resurfaces as Bishop of Cyzicus.[3] He took part in the 712 Council of Constantinople where decisions favored Monothelitism, abolishing the canons of the Third Council of Constantinople (680-681). The Council followed the religious preferences of Philippikos Bardanes.[5] 713, Philippikos Bardanes was deposed by Anastasios II. Anastasios soon reversed all religious decisions of his predecessor. Patriarch John VI, strongly associated with Monothelitism, was eventually dismissed. On 11 August 714/715, Germanus was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. Germanus later helped negotiate Anastasius' surrender terms to Theodosios III.[6] 715, Germanus organized a new council propagating Dyothelitism and anathematizing various leaders of the opposing faction. He attempted to improve relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church with a view towards reconciliation. The major issue of his term would, however, be the emerging Byzantine Iconoclasm, propagated by Leo III the Isaurian. was an iconodule,[5] and played an important role in defending the use of sacred images during the iconoclastic crisis of his day, suffering exile for his opposition to the emperor, who considered reverence for these images a form of idolatry.[7] an apparently successful attempt to enforce the baptism of all Jews and Montanists in the empire (722), Leo issued a series of edicts against the worship of images (726–729).[8] A letter by the patriarch Germanus written before 726 to two Iconoclast bishops says that "now whole towns and multitudes of people are in considerable agitation over this matter" but we have very little evidence as to the growth of the debate.[9] either resigned or was deposed following the ban. Surviving letters Germanus wrote at the time say little of theology. According to Patricia Karlin-Hayter, what worried Germanus was that the ban of icons would prove that the Church had been in error for a long time and therefore play into the hands of Jews and Muslims.[10] Tradition depicts Germanus as much more determined in his position, even winning a debate on the matter with Constantine, Bishop of Nacoleia, a leading Iconoclast. Pope Gregory II (term 715–731), a fellow iconodule, praised Germanus' "zeal and steadfastness".[5] was replaced by Anastasios, more willing to obey the emperor. Germanus retired to the residence of his family. He died a few years at an advanced age in 740.[11] He was buried at the Chora Church. The Second Council of Nicaea (787) included Germanus in the diptychs of the saints. He has since been regarded a saint by both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. of his writings have been preserved.[5] His Historia Ecclesiastica was a popular work in Greek and Latin translations for many centuries, and remains often quoted by scholars. Parts of it were published in English in 1985 as On the Divine Liturgy, described by its publishers as for centuries the quasi-official explanation of the Divine Liturgy for the Byzantine Christian world.[12] However the Johann Peter Kirsch is dubious that the work is actually by Germanus.[5] Pius XII included one of his texts in the apostolic constitution proclaiming Mary's assumption into heaven a dogma of the Church.[7] his writings was the hymn translated by John Mason Neale as A Great and Mighty Wonder,[13][14] although Neale misattributed this to Anatolius of Constantinople. Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26;

Byzantium, 717-741, Emperor, Leo III, Iconoclast, John Damascas' hand, Arabic, Muslim Iconoclasm, d Umayyads
Byzantine Emperor 717-741, Leo the Isaurian, aka Leo III the Syrian; III the Isaurian (Greek: , romanized: Leon ho Isauros; c. 685-18 June 741), also known as the Syrian, was Byzantine Emperor from 717 until his death in 741 and founder of the Isaurian dynasty.[1] put an end to the Twenty Years' Anarchy, a period of great instability in the Byzantine Empire between 695 and 717, marked by the rapid succession of several emperors to the throne. He also successfully defended the Empire against the invading Umayyads and forbade the veneration of icons.[2] life[edit] whose original name was Konon, was born in Germanikeia in the Syrian province of Commagene (modern KahramanmaraÅŸ in Turkey). Some, including the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes, have claimed that Konon's family had been resettled in Thrace, where he entered the service of Emperor Justinian II, when the latter was advancing on Constantinople with an army of loyalist followers, and horsemen provided by Tervel of Bulgaria in 705. Leo was fluent in Arabic,[3] possibly as a native language,[4] and was described by Theophanes as "the Saracen minded."[5] the victory of Justinian II, Konon was dispatched on a diplomatic mission to Alania and Lazica to organize an alliance against the Umayyad Caliphate under Al-Walid I. According to the Chronicle of Theophanes Justinian wanted to get rid of Konon and took back the money that had been given to him to help advance Byzantine interests, thus leaving Konon stranded in Alania. The chronicle describes the mission as successful and Konon returning eventually to Justinian after crossing the Caucasus mountains in May with snowshoes and taking the fortress of Sideron (associated with Tsebelda) on the way.[6][7] was appointed commander (stratÄ“gos) of the Anatolic Theme by Emperor Anastasius II. On his deposition, Konon joined with his colleague Artabasdus, the stratÄ“gos of the Armeniac Theme, in conspiring to overthrow the new Emperor Theodosius III. Artabasdus was betrothed to Anna,[8] daughter of Leo as part of the agreement. of Constantinople[edit] article: Siege of Constantinople (717–718) entered Constantinople on 25 March 717 and forced the abdication of Theodosios III, becoming emperor as Leo III. The new emperor was immediately forced to attend to the Second Arab siege of Constantinople, which commenced in August of the same year. The Arabs were Umayyad forces sent by Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik and serving under his brother Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik. They had taken advantage of the civil discord in the Byzantine Empire to bring a force of 80,000 to 150,000 men and a massive fleet to the Bosphorus.[9] preparations, begun three years earlier under Anastasius II, and the stubborn resistance put up by Leo wore out the invaders. An important factor in the victory of the Byzantines was their use of Greek fire.[10] The Arab forces also fell victim to Bulgarian reinforcements arriving to aid the Byzantines. Leo was allied with the Bulgarians but the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor was uncertain if they were still serving under Tervel of Bulgaria or his eventual successor Kormesiy of Bulgaria. to continue the siege in the face of the Bulgarian onslaught, the impenetrability of Constantinople's walls, and their own exhausted provisions, the Arabs were forced to abandon the siege in August, 718. Sulayman himself had died the previous year and his successor Umar II would not attempt another siege. The siege had lasted 12 months. section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Empire 717 AD. 1. Ravenna 2. Venetia and Istria 3. Rome 4. Naples 5. Calabria 6. Hellas 7. Thrace 8. Opsikion 9. Thrakesion 10. Anatolikon 11. Karabisianoi 12. Armeniakon. Hatched area: Frequently invaded by Umayyad Caliphate. thus saved the Empire from extinction, Leo proceeded to consolidate its administration, which in the previous years of anarchy had become completely disorganized. In 718 he suppressed a rebellion in Sicily and in 719 did the same on behalf of the deposed Emperor Anastasios II. secured the Empire's frontiers by inviting Slavic settlers into the depopulated districts and by restoring the army to efficiency; when the Umayyad Caliphate renewed its invasions in 726 and 739, as part of the campaigns of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, the Arab forces were decisively beaten, particularly at Akroinon in 740. His military efforts were supplemented by his alliances with the Khazars and the Georgians. undertook a set of civil reforms including the abolition of the system of prepaying taxes which had weighed heavily upon the wealthier proprietors, the elevation of the serfs into a class of free tenants and the remodelling of Family law, maritime law and criminal law, notably substituting mutilation for the death penalty in many cases. The new measures, which were embodied in a new code called the Ecloga (Selection), published in 726, met with some opposition on the part of the nobles and higher clergy. The Emperor also undertook some reorganization of the theme structure by creating new themata in the Aegean region. of the miliaresion silver coins, first struck by Leo III to commemorate the coronation of his son, Constantine V, as co-emperor in 720. most striking legislative reforms dealt with religious matters, especially iconoclasm ("icon-breaking," therefore an iconoclast is an "icon-breaker").[11] After an apparently successful attempt to enforce the baptism of all Jews and Montanists in the empire (722), he issued a series of edicts against the veneration of images (726–729).[12] This prohibition of a custom, which had been in use among Christians for centuries, may have been inspired by Islamic influence as well as the desire to appease those who had not been Christians, and received the support of the official aristocracy. A majority of the theologians and all the monks opposed these measures with uncompromising hostility, and in the western parts of the Empire the people refused to obey the edict. revolt which broke out in Greece, mainly on religious grounds, was crushed by the imperial fleet in 727 (cf. Agallianos Kontoskeles). In 730, Patriarch Germanos I of Constantinople resigned rather than subscribe to an iconoclastic decree. Leo had him replaced by Anastasios,[13] who willingly sided with the Emperor on the question of icons. Thus Leo suppressed the overt opposition of the capital. the Italian Peninsula, the defiant attitude of Popes Gregory II and later Gregory III on behalf of image-veneration led to a fierce quarrel with the Emperor. The former summoned councils in Rome to anathematize and excommunicate the iconoclasts (730, 732); in 740 Leo retaliated by transferring Southern Italy and Illyricum from the papal diocese to that of the patriarch of Constantinople.[14] The struggle was accompanied by an armed outbreak in the exarchate of Ravenna in 727, which Leo finally endeavoured to subdue by means of a large fleet. But the destruction of the armament by a storm decided the issue against him; his southern Italian subjects successfully defied his religious edicts, and the Exarchate of Ravenna became effectively detached from the Empire. have discussed the mutual influence of Muslim and Byzantine iconoclasm, noting that Caliph Yazid II had issued an iconoclastic edict, also targeting his Christian subjects, already in 721.[15] III died of dropsy on 18 June 741. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine V. his wife Maria, Leo III had four known children: his successor, Constantine V; Anna, who married Artabasdus; Irene; and Kosmo. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Three Hands"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Hieromartyr Hypatius the Bishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Three Hands"Â, Commemorated on June 28;

Constantinople, 717-718, 2nd Arab Seige of Constantinople
Constantinople, 717-718, 2nd Arab Seige of Constantinople;

Constantinople, 730-754, Patriarch, Anastasius, an iconoclast
Constantinople Patriarch, 730-754, Anastasius, an iconoclast; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29;

Constantinople, 740, Great Earthquake at Constantinople, people repented, prayed to Theotokos, earthquake stopped
Constantinople, 740, Great Earthquake at Constantinople; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 26 740, at the time of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, there was a terrible earthquake at Constantinople. Seeing this as God’s just punishment for their sins, the people repented and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos and to Saint Demetrius to help them. God had mercy on them, and the earthquake stopped.

Byzantium, 741-775, Emperor Constantine V Copronymos, Iconoclast, used Arab Civil War
Byzantium, 741-775, Emperor Constantine V Copronymos, Iconoclast; Martyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28 ; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21 ; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 741-792, Michael Lachanodrakon, the dragon, Arab Frontier, capable general, famous for iconoclast fervor
Ephesus, 741-792, Byzantine General Michael Lachanodrakon, the dragon, capable general against arabs, iconoclast fervor, Pelekete monastery, Thrace Theme Gov, forced monks to marry, disolved all monasteries, ; Lachanodrakon (died 20 July 792) was a distinguished Byzantine general and fanatical supporter of Byzantine Iconoclasm under Emperor Constantine V (r. 741–775). a result of his iconoclast zeal, in 766 he rose to high office as governor of the Thracesian Theme, and instigated a series of repressive measures against iconophile practices, particularly targeting the monasteries. talented general, he also led a series of campaigns against the Arabs of the Abbasid Caliphate before being dismissed from office in about 782. to imperial favour in 790, he fell at the Battle of Marcellae against the Bulgars in 792. of the iconophiles[edit] Gold coin of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian (r. 717–741), depicted with his son and successor, Constantine V. Leo first promoted iconoclasm, which became official policy under Constantine. Nothing is known of Lachanodrakon's origins and early life. receives a very negative treatment in the historical sources, which were written after the final defeat of Byzantine Iconoclasm; some refer to him solely as the Dragon, alluding to his surname and the Biblical Beast). profoundly iconophile perspective means that reports of his actions, especially those relating to the suppression of icon worship, are potentially untrustworthy.[1][2] the Council of Hieria in 754, Constantine V had declared the adoration of icons to be a heresy, and had thereby elevated iconoclasm to official imperial policy. persecution of iconophiles was launched at first, but iconophile resistance grew, until from 765 on, Constantine began persecuting iconophiles, and especially monks. discovery of a wide-ranging iconophile plot against him involving some of the highest civil and military officials of the state in 766 provoked an extreme reaction. Constantine II and other officials were deposed, jailed, publicly humiliated, and finally executed, replaced by new, uncompromisingly iconoclast officials. In addition, the veneration of sacred relics and prayers to the saints and the Virgin Mary were condemned.[3] Map of the themes and major settlements of Byzantine Asia Minor and the Arab–Byzantine frontier zone in the late 8th century 763 or 764, according to the iconophile Life of St Stephen the Younger hagiography, Lachanodrakon had already distinguished himself by his iconoclast fervour. the emperor's orders, he led a group of soldiers on an invasion of the Pelekete monastery on the Propontis, where he arrested 38 monks and subjected the remainder to various tortures and mutilations. After burning down the monastery, he took the 38 captives to Ephesus, where they were executed.[4][5] 766/767, as part of the emperor's reshuffle of the senior echelons of the Byzantine Empire, Lachanodrakon was rewarded with the important post of strategos (military governor) of the Thracesian Theme, and given the rank of patrikios and imperial protospatharios according to his seal.[6][2] soon began a harsh repression of the monasteries and iconophiles. to Theophanes the Confessor, in 769/770 he summoned the monks and nuns of his theme to Ephesus, gathered them in the city's tzykanisterion and forced them to marry, threatening them with blinding and exile to Cyprus if they refused. Although many resisted and "became martyrs" in Theophanes's words, many complied. Later reports of exiled monks in Cyprus becoming Arab captives seem to partly corroborate this story.[2][7][8] reports further that in 771/772, Lachanodrakon dissolved all monasteries in the theme, confiscated and expropriated their property, and sent the proceeds to the emperor, who replied with a letter thanking him for his zeal. allegedly had relics, holy scriptures, and monks' beards set on fire, killed or tortured those who venerated relics, and finally prohibited the tonsure. Although highly embellished, these reports probably reflect actual events.[4][8][9] At any rate, by 772, according to historian Warren Treadgold, Lachanodrakon seems to have succeeded in "eradicating monasticism within his theme".[4][10] activities[edit] Gold coin of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar (r. 775–780), also depicting his son and co-emperor Constantine VI, as well as the Isaurian dynasty's founders Leo III and Constantine V. was also a capable general, winning fame for his campaigns against the Abbasids on the Byzantine Empire's eastern frontier. During the reign of Constantine V's son Leo IV (r. 775–780) he seems to have been the most prominent military commander, repeatedly leading expeditions comprising troops from several themes against the Arabs.[2][8][11] first such expedition occurred in 778 when, preempting an anticipated Arab raid, Lachanodrakon led a large army against Germanikeia. Although the city did not fall (Theophanes claims that the Arab commander bribed Lachanodrakon), the Byzantine army defeated a relief force, plundered the region, and took many captives, mostly Jacobites, who were then resettled in Thrace.[2][11][12] In 780, Lachanodrakon ambushed and defeated an Arab invasion in the Armeniac Theme, killing the brother of the Arab commander Thumama ibn al-Walid. The Arab historian al-Tabari records that in 781 Lachanodrakon forced another Arab invasion, under 'Abd al-Kabir, to withdraw without battle, although Theophanes ascribes the success to the sakellarios John.[2][8][11] In 782, however, he was defeated by the Arab general al-Barmaqi during a large-scale invasion led by the future caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), losing some 15,000 men according to Theophanes. In the aftermath of this defeat, and likely because of his iconoclast past, he was apparently removed from his command by the iconophile empress-regent Irene of Athens.[2][8][11] reappears in 790, when the young emperor Constantine VI (r. 780–797) conspired to overturn the tutelage of Irene. The general was sent by Constantine to the Armeniac Theme to secure the allegiance of its soldiers. succeeded in toppling his mother in December 790; it was probably then that Lachanodrakon was rewarded with the supreme non-imperial title, that of magistros.[2][8][11] According to the account of Theophanes, he participated in the imperial campaign against the Bulgars in 792 that led to the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Marcellae on 20 July, where he was killed. The history of John Skylitzes records his death in the Battle of Versinikia, again against the Bulgars, in 813, but this is clearly an error.[2][8][11] Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelekete, Commemorated on March 28;

Constantinople, 750, died in 750, Saint, Basil the Confessor, resolutely came out on the side of icon veneration
Constantinople, 750, died in 750, Saint, Basil the Confessor; St. Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium, lived during the eighth century. He was elected as bishop by the inhabitants of Parium, who venerated the saint as a true pastor of the flock of Christ. the Iconoclast heresy broke out, Saint Basil resolutely came out on the side of icon veneration and refused to sign the orders for their abolition (the “Iniquitous Scroll”) of the Council of 754 which was convened under the emperor Constantine V Copronymos (741-775). The saint avoided any contact with the heretics and did not permit them into his diocese. For his zeal he suffered much persecution, hunger and deprivation. Basil remained faithful to the Orthodox Church until his death.

Constantinople, 770-805, St George, Bishop of Amastris, Pontus, on the Black Sea, example of God-pleasing
Armenia, 770-805, St George, Bishop of Amastris, Pontus, Armenia, on the Black Sea; Amastridia; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; George was born at Kromne near Amastris in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea in 750. He was the son of pious parents, Theodosios and Megethousa. completing his primary studies in his homeland, he left for the mountain of Syrikes or Serikes. There he found an old ascetic who taught him about the solitary life and tonsured him. the repose of his Elder, George went to Vonitsa in Akarnania, where he continued his ascetical struggles. 788, the Bishop of Amastris fell asleep in the Lord, and the Church rewarded George's virtues. Against his will, he was elected as the Bishop of that city, but in the end he submitted to this as God's will. He was consecrated at Constantinople by Patriarch Tarasios (February 25). his return to Amastris, Saint George was like a lamp which is not placed under a bushel, but put on a lampstand, so that it gives light to all those in the house (Matthew 5:15). He instructed his flock, he beautified several churches, defended widows and orphans, and fed the poor. In all things, he was an example of a God-pleasing life. the power of his prayers he drove away the Saracens who were ravaging the countryside near Amastris. He also rescued some Amastrian merchants who had been wrongfully condemned to death in the city of Trebizond. also composed several Canons in honor of the Saints, which are sung on February 7 and 26; April 13; August 1; October 8, etc. George went to the Lord peacefully in 805, during the reign of Emperor Nikēphoros I, after shepherding the flock which had been entrusted to him by Christ in a God-pleasing manner. He performed many miracles, both during his lifetime, and after his blessed repose. Slavic usage, Saint George is commemorated on February 21. In Greek usage he is commemorated on October 25.

Constantinople, 770-825, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75
Constantinople, 770-825, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Evarestus, a native of Galatia, was the son of illustrious parents. his youth he longed for the monastic life, and in particular he loved to read the books of Saint Ephraim the Syrian. went to the Studion monastery, pursuing asceticism in strict fasting, vigil and prayer, and wearing iron chains. He departed to the Lord at age 75 in the year 825.

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

Byzantium, 775-780, Emperor, Leo IV the Khazar, Iconodule, Irene's husband, had TB
Byzantium, 775-780, Emperor Leo IV the Khazar ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 780-818, Saint Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Iconodule
Byzantium, 780-818, Saint Theophanes the Confessor, Iconodule; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12;

Byzantium, 780-797, Emperor, Constantine VI, Iconoclast, short reign, blinded by mother
Byzantium, 780-797, Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VI, Iconoclast ; VI (Greek: ÎšÏ‰Î½ÏƒÏ„Î±Î½Ï„á¿–Î½Î¿Ï‚ ÏšÎ„, KÅnstantinos VI; 771 – before 805[1]) was Byzantine Emperor from 780 to 797. The only child of Emperor Leo IV, Constantine was named co-emperor with him at the age of five in 776 and succeeded him as sole Emperor in 780, aged nine. His mother Irene exercised control over him as regent until 790, assisted by her chief minister Staurakios. The regency ended when Constantine reached maturity, but Irene sought to continue her participation in government. After a few years of sole rule Constantine named his mother Empress in 792, making her his official colleague. Constantine suffered military defeats and made controversial decisions, such as illicitly marrying his mistress, Theodote. Taking advantage of her son's unpopularity, Irene had Constantine deposed, blinded and imprisoned in 797 and seized power for herself, becoming the first Empress regnant of the Empire. Constantine likely died shortly thereafter. Constantine VI was the final ruler to be universally recognized as Roman emperor, being recognized as such by both the Empire which he ruled in the east, the papacy and the Western European powers over which the pope held suzerainty. With his mother becoming Empress regnant upon his deposition, the papacy crowned Charlemagne as a new Emperor in Western Europe, asserting that a woman could not be Empress in her own right. This laid the foundations of a new polity, independent of the East, that would evolve into the Holy Roman Empire.[2] Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on October 16 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Byzantium, 780-802, Empress, Irene of Athens, Iconodule, mother of Constantine VI
Byzantium, 780-802, Byzantine Empress, Irene of Athens, Iconodule; of Athens (Greek: Î•á¼°ÏÎ®Î½Î· á¼¡ á¼ˆÎ¸Î·Î½Î±Î¯Î±, Eirénē Ä“ AthÄ“naÃa; c. 752 – 9 August 803), surnamed Sarantapechaina (Î£Î±ÏÎ±Î½Ï„Î±Ï€Î®Ï‡Î±Î¹Î½Î±), was Byzantine empress by marriage to Emperor Leo IV from 775 to 780, regent during the minority of their son Constantine VI from 780 until 790, co-regent from 792 until 797, and finally sole ruler and first empress regnant of the Byzantine Empire from 797 to 802. A member of the politically prominent Sarantapechos family, she was selected as Leo IV's bride for unknown reasons in 768. Even though her husband was an iconoclast, she harbored iconophile sympathies. During her rule as regent, she called the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, which condemned iconoclasm as heretical and brought an end to the first iconoclast period (730–787). As Irene's son Constantine reached maturity, he began to move out from under the influence of his mother. In the early 790s, several revolts tried to proclaim him as sole ruler. One of these revolts succeeded, but in 792, Irene was re-established in all imperial powers as co-ruler with Constantine. In 797, Irene organized a conspiracy in which her supporters gouged out her son's eyes, maiming him severely. He was imprisoned and probably died shortly afterwards. With him out of the way, Irene proclaimed herself sole ruler. Irene's alleged unprecedented status as a female ruler of the Roman Empire led Pope Leo III to proclaim Charlemagne emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas Day of 800 under the pretext that a woman could not rule and so the throne of the Roman Empire was actually vacant. A revolt in 802 overthrew Irene and exiled her to the island of Lesbos, supplanting her on the throne with Nikephoros I. Irene died in exile less than a year later. Byzantium, 780-797, Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VI, Iconoclast ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on October 16 ; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 780-820, Gregory of Crete, iconodule, to Akrita, Marmora Sea, great ascetic deeds
Crete, 780-820, Gregory of Crete, iconodule, to Jerusalem, persecuted by jews, to rome monastery, to Akrita, Marmora Sea, great ascetic deeds; Crete; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ; Gregory of Akrita was born on the island of Crete in the year 760, and was raised by pious parents. At this time the iconoclast heretics persecuted the Orthodox. The youth Gregory, wanting to preserve his Orthodox Faith, went to Seleukia and led a life of piety. the age of twenty, Saint Gregory went to Jerusalem and lived there for twelve years, enduring fierce persecution from the Jews. From there Saint Gregory journeyed to Rome, where he entered a monastery. He became acquainted with Saint Michael, Bishop of Synnada (May 23), who took him along and settled in a monastery on the Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora). The saint accomplished great ascetic deeds and died there around the year 820.

Constantinople, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E
Ephesus, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E; Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis, during the period of the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and the empress Irene (797-802), was chosen Bishop of Sardis because of his virtuous life. was also present at the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), at which he denounced the Iconoclast heresy. the Iconoclast emperor Nikephoros I (802-811) came to rule, Saint Euthymius and other Orthodox hierarchs were banished to the island of Patalareia, where they languished for a long time. from exile by the emperor Leo V (813-820), the bishop boldly denounced the Iconoclast heresy, and they sent him into exile to the city of Assia. next emperor, Michael II the Stammerer (820-829), attempted to make him renounce icon-veneration, but without success. the holy martyr was flogged and banished to the island of Crete. was succeeded on the throne by the Iconoclast emperor Theophilus (829-842), on whose order Saint Euthymius was subjected to cruel tortures: they stretched him on four poles and beat him with ox thongs. Saint Euthymius fell asleep in the Lord several days after the torture. Saint Euthymius is also commemorated on March 8.

Constantinople, 784-806, Patriarch, Tarasios of Constantinople, Iconoclast-dule
Constantinople, 784-806, Patriarch, Tarasios of Constantinople; St. George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Saint Tarasius, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople was of illustrious lineage. He was born and raised in Constantinople, where he received a fine education. He was rapidly promoted at the court of the emperor Constantine VI Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and Constantine’s mother, the holy Empress Irene (August 7), and the saint attained the rank of senator. these times the Church was agitated by the turmoil of the Iconoclast disturbances. The holy Patriarch Paul (August 30) although he had formerly supported Iconoclasm, later repented and resigned his office. He withdrew to a monastery, where he took the schema. When the holy Empress Irene and her son the emperor came to him, Saint Paul told them that the most worthy successor to him would be Saint Tarasius (who at this time was still a layman). refused for a long time, not considering himself worthy of such high office, but he then gave in to the common accord on the condition, that an Ecumenical Council be convened to address the Iconoclast heresy. through all the clerical ranks in a short while, Saint Tarasius was elevated to the patriarchal throne in the year 784. In the year 787 the Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea, with Patriarch Tarasius presiding, and 367 bishops attending. The veneration of holy icons was confirmed at the council. Those bishops who repented of their iconoclasm, were again received by the Church. Tarasius wisely governed the Church for twenty-two years. He led a strict ascetic life. He spent all his money on God-pleasing ends, feeding and giving comfort to the aged, to the impoverished, to widows and orphans, and on Holy Pascha he set out a meal for them, and he served them himself. holy Patriarch fearlessly denounced the emperor Constantine Porphyrigenitos when he slandered his spouse, the empress Maria, the granddaughter of Saint Philaretos the Merciful (December 1), so that he could send Maria to a monastery, thus freeing him to marry his own kinswoman. Saint Tarasius resolutely refused to dissolve the marriage of the emperor, for which the saint fell into disgrace. Soon, however, Constantine was deposed by his own mother, the Empress Irene. Tarasius died in the year 806. Before his death, devils examined his life from the time of his youth, and they tried to get the saint to admit to sins that he had not committed. “I am innocent of that of which you accuse me,â€ replied the saint, “and you falsely slander me. You have no power over me at all.â€ by the Church, the saint was buried in a monastery he built on the Bosphorus. Many miracles took place at his tomb. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 787, Beret Icon, Beret Phoenecia, Biblos, Lebanon, Jesus icon, Jews, spear, blood and water, healing for all
Beret, Phoenecia Biblos; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christin Beret , Commemorated October 11 ; of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret: At the fourth session of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (in 787), Saint Peter, Bishop of Nicomedia, in defending the necessity of icon veneration, presented an account of Saint Athanasius about a miracle which occurred in the city of Beret, Phoenecia. this city, near the Jewish synagogue, lived a certain Christian. When he moved to another place, he left behind an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Jew, who moved into the house, paid no attention to the icon. Once, his friend noticed of the image of Jesus Christ on the wall and said to the homeowner, “Why do you, a Jew, have an icon in your house?” He then went to the synagogue and reported this transgression of Jewish law. Jews expelled the owner of the house from the synagogue. took the icon from the wall and began to scoff at it, “As once our fathers mocked Him, so we also mock Him.” They spit at the face of the Lord. Hurling abuses, they lashed at the icon, they placed thorns around the head, nailed it to a tree, and put a sponge with vinegar to the mouth. Finally, they took a spear, and one of the Jews thrust it into the side of the Savior. from the hole in the icon made by the spear, blood and water flowed. The Jewish rabbis, seeing the miracle, said, “The followers of Jesus Christ say that He could heal the sick. Let us take this blood and water into the synagogue and anoint those afflicted with infirmities. Then we shall see whether what is spoken of Him is true.” vessel with the blood was put in the synagogue. The inhabitants of Beret, once they learned of the miracle, began to bring those suffering from various illnesses into the synagogue. all were healed, after being anointed with the blood from the icon of the Savior. the Jewish people believed in Christ and exclaimed, “Glory to You, O Christ, Whom our fathers crucified, Whom we also crucified in the form of Your icon. Glory to You, O Son of God, for having worked such a miracle! We believe in You, therefore be merciful to us and receive us!” Jews went to the Bishop of Beret. After showing him the wonderworking icon and the blood and water that flowed from it, they told him of their misdeed. The bishop, seeing their sincere repentance, accepted them, catechized them for many days and then baptized them. he consecrated the synagogue into a church of our Savior Jesus Christ. At the request of the Jews, he also consecrated other synagogues into churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. There was great joy in that city, not only because many people were healed, but because many were baptized due to the miracles worked by the icon of the Savior. St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Constantinople, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia, for Icons
Byzantine Empire, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated on September 3; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated December 26 ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem (Spiritual Meadow), Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11;

Constantinople, 787 and 553, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by miracles in the city of Sozopolis, but its origin is unknown. Saint Germanus, the Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12), mentions “the icon of the All-Pure Virgin Mother of God at Pisidian Sozopolis” in his letters on the veneration of icons which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. He said that “myrrh flowed from the hands,” and described the icon as “ancient.” miracles of the icon date back to the sixth century. One of the miracles was reported by the presbyter Eustathius, who was a contemporary of Patriarch Eutychius (April 6). At Amasea, near Sozopolis, there was a certain married couple, whose children were all stillborn. Grieving over their misfortune, they turned to Patriarch Eutychius for advice. Saint Eutychius prayed and anointed them with holy oil from the Cross of the Lord and from the holy icon of the Mother of God saying, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Name your child Peter, and he will live,” he said to them. Soon the couple gave birth to a son whom they did indeed name Peter. Later, they had a second son, whom they named John. The people of the city glorified God when they heard of this miracle. about 600 years myrrh flowed from the Pisidian Icon of the Mother of God – Eleusius, a disciple of Saint Theodore the Sykeote (April 22), was a witness to this. A copy of this ancient wonderworking icon was made in Russia in 1608, at Moscow’s Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery. The Mother of God is depicted with the Divine Infant on Her left arm, and with Her right hand She gives a blessing. St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Constantinople, 787, Armatian Icon, deliverance from iconoclast heresy 787 Ecumenical Council
Armatian monestary is somewhere in Constantinople. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17 ; Armatia Icon of the Mother of God was in Constantinople at the Armatian monastery. The place where the monastery was located, was called “Armation” or “of the Armatians” and received its name from the military magister Armatias, nephew of the tyrant Basiliscus, and a contemporary of the emperor Zeno (474-491). celebration of the wonderworking icon was established to commemorate deliverance from the Iconoclast heresy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 drew up dogmatic definitions about icon veneration based on Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. Armatia Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated twice during the year, on July 21 and August 17.

Constantinople, 795-845, Saints Theophanes the Branded, Iconodule
Byzantium, 795-845, Saints Theophanes the Branded, Iconodule; Byzantium, 795-845, Saints Theodorus and Theophanes, Iconodules; St. Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Theodore Graptus, the branded,Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4;

Constantinople, 795-845, Saints Theodorus and Theophanes, Iconodules
Byzantium, 795-845, Saints Theodorus and Theophanes, Iconodules; St. Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded," Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4;

Byzantium, 797-802, Empress, Irene of Athens, Iconodule, first woman E-ship elevated Charlemagne
Byzantium, 797-802, Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens, Iconodule ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 797-842, Gregory of Dekapolis, notable for his miracle-working and his Byzantine world travels
Constantinople Saint, 797-842, Gregory of Dekapolis; Gregory of Dekapolis or Gregory Dekapolites (before 797 - 20 November 842 or earlier) was a 9th-century Byzantine monk, notable for his miracle-working and his travels across the Byzantine world. He is known as "the New Miracle-Worker", and his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church[3] is on November 20.[1][2] Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 800-899, Folder, 9th Century, Iconoclasts, Iconodules

Byzantium, 802-811, Emperor, Nicephorus, Iconoclast, Irene's finance m. led coup
Byzantine Emperor 802-811, Nicephorus ; I or Nicephorus I (“ 750 -26 July 811) was Byzantine Emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska. Prior to his accession, he had served as genikos logothetÄ“s, whence he is sometimes surnamed the Logothete and Genikos or Genicus. Syriac sources such as Michael the Syrian and Arabic ones like al-Tabari and Mas'udi hold that the emperor was of a Ghassanid Arab origin.[1][2][3] Byzantine chronicles, however, although generally hostile to him, make no explicit mention about his ethnic background.[1] On the other hand, al-Tabari claims that he learned of Nikephoros' Arab origins from Byzantine sources.[4] Some scholars, like Paul Julius Alexander, accept al-Tabari's account, citing a Byzantine apocalyptic text in which the emperor is said to be "from the race of Gopsin".[5] The word "Gopsin" could be a Greek rendering of the name "Ghassan", or the name "Gafna", the eponym of the Ghassanids.[6] The Byzantine Empire at the beginning of the reign of Nikephoros I, in 802 AD. patrician from Seleucia Sidera, Nikephoros was appointed finance minister (logothetÄ“s tou genikou) by the Empress Irene. With the help of the patricians and eunuchs he contrived to dethrone and exile Irene, and to be chosen as Emperor in her stead on 31 October 802. He crowned his son Staurakios co-emperor in 803. rule was endangered by Bardanes Tourkos, one of his ablest generals, who revolted and received support from other commanders, notably the later emperors Leo V the Armenian and Michael II the Amorian in 803. Nikephoros gained over the latter two, and by inducing the rebel army to disperse achieved the submission of Bardanes, who was blinded and relegated to a monastery. A conspiracy headed by the patrician Arsaber had a similar result. embarked on a general reorganization of the Roman Empire, creating new themes in the Balkans (where he initiated the re-Hellenization by resettling Greeks from Anatolia) and strengthening the frontiers. Needing large sums to increase his military forces, he set himself with great energy to increase the Empire's revenue. By his rigorous tax imposts he alienated his subjects, especially the clergy, whom he otherwise sought to control firmly. Although he appointed an iconodule, Nikephoros, as patriarch, Emperor Nikephoros was portrayed as a villain by ecclesiastical historians like Theophanes the Confessor. Krum feasts while a servant brings the skull of Nikephoros I fashioned into a drinking cup. 803, Nikephoros concluded a treaty, called the "Pax Nicephori", with Charlemagne, but refused to recognize the latter's imperial dignity. Relations deteriorated and led to a war over Venice in 806–810. In the process, Nikephoros had quelled a Venetian rebellion in 807, but suffered extensive losses to the Franks. The conflict was resolved only after Nikephoros' death, and Venice, Istria, the Dalmatian coast and South Italy were assigned to the East, while Rome, Ravenna and the Pentapolis were included in the Western realm. withholding the tribute which Irene had agreed to pay to the caliph HÄrÅ«n al-RashÄ«d, Nikephoros committed himself to a war against the Arabs.[7] Compelled by Bardanes' disloyalty to take the field himself, he sustained a severe defeat at the Battle of Krasos in Phrygia (805).[7] In 806 a Muslim army of 135,000 men invaded the Empire. Unable to counter the Muslim numbers, Nikephoros agreed to make peace on condition of paying 50,000 nomismata immediately and a yearly tribute of 30,000 nomismata. With a succession struggle enveloping the caliphate on the death of HÄrÅ«n al-RashÄ«d in 809, Nikephoros was free to deal with Krum, Khan of Bulgaria, who was harassing his northern frontiers and had just conquered Serdica (Sofia). 811, Nikephoros invaded Bulgaria, defeated Krum twice, and sacked the Bulgarian capital Pliska. The Chronicle of the 12th-century patriarch of the Syrian Jacobites, Michael the Syrian, describes the brutalities and atrocities of Nikephoros: "Nikephoros, emperor of the Byzantine empire, walked into the Bulgarians' land: he was victorious and killed great number of them. He reached their capital, seized it and devastated it. His savagery went to the point that he ordered to bring their small children, got them tied down on earth and made thresh grain stones to smash them." During Nikephoros' retreat, the imperial army was ambushed and destroyed in Varbishki mountain passes on 26 July by Krum. Nikephoros was captured during the battle and sent to Pliska, where Krum ordered his decapitation. Krum is said to have made a drinking-cup of Nikephoros' skull. New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery, Commemorated on October 26 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1;

Constantinople, 802-811, Nicholas, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, spared, left world, clairvoyance
Mongols, Khzaria, 802-811, Nicholas, monk of Bulgaria, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, vison, spared because overcame temptation, left world, settled in cave, schemamonk, unceasing prayer for fallen soldiers, granted clairvoyance; Bulgars; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Nicholas the Former General was a military commander under the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I (802-811). He was ordered to lead his troops against the Bulgars. On the eve of battle he was approached by the innkeeper’s daughter, but he resisted her shameless attempts to seduce him. his comrades perished in the battle, but Nicholas remained alive. It was revealed to him in a vision that his life was spared because he had overcome temptation. After this Saint Nicholas left the world and settled into a cave. He became a schemamonk, and prayed unceasingly for his fallen soldiers. By his great ascetic efforts he so pleased the Lord, that he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Constantinople, 806-815, Nikephoros I, Patriarch, Iconodule, incorrupt r
Constantinople, 806-815, Patriarch, Nikephoros I of Constantinople ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Translation of the relics of Saint Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; Nicephorus was a dignitary at the court of the empress Irene (797-802), and then after receiving monastic tonsure, he became known for his piety. In the year 806 he was elevated to the patriarchal throne. The saint was a zealous defender of the holy Icons. When the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to rule, the saint in 815 was exiled to Prokonnis, where he died in the year 828. the year 846 the holy relics of Patriarch Nicephorus were opened, and were found incorrupt and fragrant. They transferred them from Prokonnis to Constantinople and placed them for one day in Hagia Sophia, and then transferred them to the Church of the Holy Apostles. The saint’s hands are preserved in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. saint left behind three writings against Iconoclasm. The main Feast of Saint Nicephorus is celebrated on June 2, but today we commemorate the finding and transfer of his holy relics. Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Byzantium, 811-813, Emperor, Michael I Rangabe, Iconodule, reduced taxes, supported army&church
Byzantine Emperor 811-813, Michael I Rangabe, Kuropalatos ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded",Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26;

Byzantium, 813-820, Emperor, Leo V the Armenian, forced M.l to abdicate, resumed iconoclasm, assinated by M
Byzantine Emperor 813-820, Leo V the Armenian; St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 18 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded,"Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on January 8; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Nicetas the Confessor the Archbishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; St Nicetas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Constantinople, 815-821, Theodotus I, Patriarch, Iconoclast
Constantinople Patriarch, 815-821, Theodotus I of Constantinople, Theodotus of Melissinea; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Byzantium, 820-829, Emperor, Michael II the Stammerer, Balbos, Iconodule then Iconoclast
Byzantine Emperor 820-829, Michael II the Stammerer ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded,"Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; St George the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Byzantium, 820-867, Bardas, Co-ruler, Iconodule, missnary, attacked Bulgaria, assinated by Basil
Byzantine Co-ruler, 820-867, Bardas ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 821-901, St Fantius of Calabria, Ascetic Wonderworker
Sicily and Southern Italy, 821-901, St Fantius of Calabria, Ascetic Wonderworker; Calabria Region; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari; By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Fantinus the Wonderworker was born in Calabria (Italy) of parents George and Vriena. was given over to a monastery, and from childhood he was accustomed to ascetic deeds. his youth he wandered into the wilderness, remaining often without food or clothes for twenty days. The monk spent 60 years in such exploits. the end of his life, fleeing before pursuing Saracens, he went with his disciples Vitalius and Nikēphóros to the Peloponnesos (Greece). Preaching the way of salvation, the monk visited Corinth, Athens, Larissa and Thessalonica, where he venerated the relics of the Great Martyr Demetrius (October 26). He died peacefully in extreme old age at the end of the ninth, and beginning of the tenth century. St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Byzantium, 829-842, Emperor, Theophilus, Iconoclast, personally led army, justice champion
Byzantium, 829-842, Emperor Theophilus, Iconoclast ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, œthe branded,Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St George the Confessor, with his wife and children of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 829-842, Peter of Galatia, Phyriga, Emperor Theophilos and Eudokia's son, count, war, but left for Daphne m
Phrygia, 829-842, Peter of Galatia, Phyriga, Theophilos and Eudokia's son, count, war, but left for Daphne monastery, Olympus, Laodocia, Antalya; Galatia; Venerable Peter of Galatia,Commemorated on October 9; Peter lived during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Theophilos (in 829). He was from the province of Galatia in Asia Minor. He was the son of Theophilos and Eudokia and at first he was named Leo. he was handsome, physically strong, and wise, the Emperor made him a count. After many years of war and being in charge of many things, he gave it all up to become a monk in the monastery of Daphne, with the new name Petros. went to Olympus, and from there to Jerusalem, but he did not remain there either. After leaving for Laodicia and Antalya, he had to endure arduous journeys, asceticism, and the fierce anger of the Ismaelites (Moslems), whom he encountered in the street. Finally, he returned to Olympus. of the loftiness of his virtues, he began to be noticed by the Emperors. That is why Emperor Basil the Macedonian convinced him to live in the monastery of Saint Phokas in the year 867. After many spiritual struggles, he departed to the Lord in peace. Saint Peter should not be confused with another Saint Peter of Galatia who lived in the V century (February 1).

Constantinople, 835-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius, created cyrilic alphabet for all slavs, pope did not like that
Constantinople, 835-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius, to the slavs in Pannonia, Great Moravia, and Serbia, created cyrilic alphabet for all slavs, pope did not like that, fled to Bulgaria; (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".[6] are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic.[7] After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles". In 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their feast into the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia.[8] career life two brothers were born in Thessalonica, then located in a Byzantine province with the same name, (today in Greece) – Cyril in about 827–828 and Methodius about 815–820. was reputedly the youngest of seven brothers; he was born Constantine,[9] but was given the name Cyril upon becoming a monk in Rome shortly before his death,[10][11][12] according to the Vita Cyrilli ("The Life of Cyril"). was born Michael and was given the name Methodius upon becoming a monk in Polychron Monastery at Mysian Olympus (present-day Uludağ), in northwest Turkey.[13] father was Leo, a droungarios of the Byzantine theme of Thessalonica, and their mother was Maria. exact ethnic origins of the brothers are unknown, there is controversy as to whether Cyril and Methodius were of Slavic[14] or Greek[15] origin, or both.[16] two brothers lost their father when Cyril was fourteen, and the powerful minister Theoktistos, who was logothetes tou dromou, one of the chief ministers of the Empire, became their protector. was also responsible, along with the regent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the Empire which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, where Cyril was to teach. Cyril was ordained as priest some time after his education, while his brother Methodius remained a deacon until 867/868.[17] to the Khazars the year 860, Byzantine Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (a professor of Cyril's at the University and his guiding light in earlier years), sent Cyril on a missionary expedition to the Khazars who had requested a scholar be sent to them who could converse with both Jews and Saracens.[18] has been claimed that Methodius accompanied Cyril on the mission to the Khazars, but this may be a later invention.[citation needed] account of his life presented in the Latin "Legenda" claims that he learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in Taurica (today Crimea). his return to Constantinople, Cyril assumed the role of professor of philosophy at the University while his brother had by this time become a significant figure in Byzantine political and administrative affairs, and an abbot of his monastery.[citation needed] to the Slavs Moravia Cyril and Methodius, painting by Jan Matejko, 1885 862, the brothers began the work which would give them their historical importance. year Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political than religious. Rastislav had become king with the support of the Frankish ruler Louis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. It is a common misconception that Cyril and Methodius were the first to bring Christianity to Moravia, but the letter from Rastislav to Michael III states clearly that Rastislav's people "had already rejected paganism and adhere to the Christian law."[19] Rastislav is said to have expelled missionaries of the Roman Church and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, a degree of political support.[20] Emperor quickly chose to send Cyril, accompanied by his brother Methodius.[21] The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. 863, they began the task of translating the Gospels and necessary liturgical books into the language now known as Old Church Slavonic[22] and traveled to Great Moravia to promote it.[23] They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavour. they came into conflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy. the purpose of this mission, they devised the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts. The Glagolitic alphabet was suited to match the specific features of the Slavic language. Its descendant script, the Cyrillic, is still used by many languages today.[20] brothers wrote the first Slavic Civil Code, which was used in Great Moravia. language derived from Old Church Slavonic, known as Church Slavonic, is still used in liturgy by several Orthodox Churches and also in some Eastern Catholic churches. is impossible to determine with certainty exactly what the brothers translated. The New Testament and the Psalms seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament.[citation needed] The "Translatio" speaks only of a version of the Gospels by Cyril, and the "Vita Methodii" only of the "evangelium Slovenicum," though other liturgical selections may also have been translated. is it known for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that of Constantinople, they took as a source. may well have used the Roman alphabet, as suggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old Glagolitic liturgical fragments brought from Jerusalem to Kiev and discovered there by Izmail Sreznevsky—probably the oldest document for the Slavonic tongue; these adhere closely to the Latin type, as is shown by the words "Mass," "Preface," and the name of one Felicitas. any case, the circumstances were such that the brothers could hope for no permanent success without obtaining the authorization of Rome. to Rome Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome. Fresco in San Clemente mission of Constantine and Methodius had great success among Slavs in part because they used the people's native language rather than Latin or Greek. Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius also encountered missionaries from East Francia, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Carolingian Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as part of their rightful mission field. friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, decided to travel to Rome to see the Pope, and seek a solution that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. 867, Pope Nicholas I (858-867) invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus of a dispute with Archbishop Adalwin of Salzburg (859–873) and Bishop Ermanrich of Passau (866-874), who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it use the Latin liturgy exclusively. with the relics of Saint Clement and a retinue of disciples, and passing through Pannonia (the Balaton Principality), where they were well received by Prince Koceľ. activity in Pannonia made a continuation of conflicts inevitable with the German episcopate, and especially with the bishop of Salzburg, to whose jurisdiction Pannonia had belonged for seventy-five years. As early as 865, Bishop Adalwin was found to exercise Episcopal rights there, and the administration under him was in the hands of the archpriest Riehbald. The latter was obliged to retire to Salzburg, but his superior was naturally disinclined to abandon his claims. brothers sought support from Rome, and arrived there in 868, where they were warmly received. This was partly due to their bringing with them the relics of Saint Clement; the rivalry with Constantinople as to the jurisdiction over the territory of the Slavs would incline Rome to value the brothers and their influence.[20] Pope Adrian II (867-872) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorisation to use the Slavonic Liturgy.[24] brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. Anastasius Bibliothecarius would later call Cyril "a man of apostolic life" and "a man of great wisdom".[25] project in Moravia found support from Pope Adrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy. Methodius was ordained as priest by the pope himself, and five Slavic disciples were ordained as priests (Saint Gorazd, Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum) and as deacons (Saint Angelar and Saint Sava) by the prominent bishops Formosus and Gauderic.[26] and Methodius along with these five disciples are collectively venerated (mainly by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church) as "Seven Saints".[27] The newly made priests officiated in their own languages at the altars of some of the principal churches. Feeling his end approaching, Cyril became a Basilian monk, was given the new name Cyril,[28] and died in Rome fifty days later (14 February 869). There is some question as to assertion of the Translatio (ix.) that he was made a bishop. statement of the "Vita" that Methodius was made bishop in 870 and not raised to the dignity of an archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of Pope John VIII, written in June 879, according to which Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John includes in his jurisdiction not only Great Moravia and Pannonia, but Serbia as well. alone Saint Cyril and Methodius by Stanislav Dospevski, Bulgarian painter now continued the work among the Slavs alone; not at first in Great Moravia, but in Pannonia (in the Balaton Principality), owing to the political circumstances of the former country, where Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew Svatopluk in 870, then delivered over to Carloman of Bavaria, and condemned in a diet held at Regensburg at the end of 870. the same time, the East Frankish rulers and their bishops decided to remove Methodius. The archiepiscopal claims of Methodius were considered such an injury to the rights of Salzburg that he was captured and forced to answer to East Frankish bishops: Adalwin of Salzburg, Ermanrich of Passau, and Anno of Freising. a heated discussion, they declared the deposition of the intruder, and ordered him to be sent to Germany, where he was kept prisoner in a monastery for two and a half years.[29] spite of the strong representations of the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, written in 871 to influence the pope, though not avowing this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius, and sent a bishop, Paul of Ancona, to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were commanded to appear in Rome with the legate. Thus in 873, new Pope John VIII (872-882) secured the release of Methodius, but instructed him to stop using the Slavonic Liturgy.[30] final years papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal authority over both Great Moravia and Pannonia, though the use of Slavonic for the mass was still denied to him. authority was restricted in Pannonia when after Koceľ's death the principality was administered by German nobles; but Svatopluk now ruled with practical independence in Great Moravia, and expelled the German clergy. This apparently secured an undisturbed field of operation for Methodius, and the Vita (x.) depicts the next few years (873–879) as a period of fruitful progress. seems to have disregarded, wholly or in part, the prohibition of the Slavonic liturgy; and when Frankish clerics again found their way into the country, and the archbishop's strictness had displeased the licentious Svatopluk, this was made a cause of complaint against him at Rome, coupled with charges regarding the Filioque. 878, Methodius was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by the arguments that Methodius made in his defence and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Witching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. Many found refuge with Knyaz Boris of Bulgaria, under whom they reorganised a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries. vindicated his orthodoxy at Rome, the more easily as the creed was still recited there without the Filioque, and promised to obey in regard to the liturgy. The other party was conciliated by giving him a Swabian, Wiching, as his coadjutor. When relations were strained between the two, John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius; but after his death (December 882) the archbishop's position became insecure, and his need of support induced Goetz to accept the statement of the Vita (xiii.) that he went to visit the Eastern emperor. was not until after Methodius' death, which is placed on 6 April 885,[31] that the animosity erupted into an open conflict. whom Methodius had designated as his successor, was not recognised by Pope Stephen V. The same Pope forbade the use of the Slavic liturgy[32] and placed the infamous Wiching as Methodius' successor. latter exiled the disciples of the two brothers from Great Moravia in 885. fled to the First Bulgarian Empire, where they were welcomed and commissioned to establish theological schools. they and scholar Saint Clement of Ohrid[33] devised the Cyrillic script on the basis of the Glagolitic. gradually replaced Glagolitic as the alphabet of the Old Church Slavonic language, which became the official language of the Bulgarian Empire and later spread to the Eastern Slav lands of Kievan Rus'. eventually spread throughout most of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the Eastern Orthodox Slavic countries. Cyril and Methodius' efforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout Eastern Europe. body was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia. Until today it remains an open question which city was capital of Great Moravia and therefore the place of Methodius' eternal rest remains unknown.[34] of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets are the oldest known Slavic alphabets, and were created by the two brothers and their students, to translate the Gospels and liturgical books[22] into the Slavic languages.[35] The early Glagolitic alphabet was used in Great Moravia between 863 (the arrival of Cyril and Methodius) and 885 (the expulsion of their students) for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated, by Methodius himself among others. The alphabet has been traditionally attributed to Cyril. That attribution has been confirmed explicitly by the papal letter Industriae tuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the alphabet was "invented by Constantine the Philosopher". The term invention need not exclude the possibility of the brothers having made use of earlier letters, but implies only that before that time the Slavic languages had no distinct script of their own. early Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the First Bulgarian Empire[36] and later finalized and spread by disciples Kliment and Naum in the Ohrid and Preslav schools of Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria[37] as a simplification of the Glagolitic alphabet which more closely resembled the Greek alphabet. It was developed by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the Preslav Literary School at the end of the 9th century. the death of Cyril, Clement of Ohrid accompanied Methodius from Rome to Pannonia and Great Moravia. After the death of Methodius in 885, Clement headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with Gorazd. After spending some time in jail, he was expelled from Great Moravia, and in 885 or 886 reached the borders of the Bulgarian Empire together with Naum of Preslav, Angelarius, and possibly Gorazd (according to other sources, Gorazd was already dead by that time). The four of them were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language. the adoption of Christianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted in Greek by clergy sent from the Byzantine Empire. Fearing growing Byzantine influence and weakening of the state, Boris viewed the adoption of the Old Slavonic language as a way to preserve the political independence and stability of Bulgaria, so he established two literary schools (academies), in Pliska and Ohrid, where theology was to be taught in the Slavonic language. While Naum of Preslav stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of the Pliska Literary School, Clement was commissioned by Boris I to organise the teaching of theology to future clergymen in Old Church Slavonic at the Ohrid Literary School. For seven years (886-893) Clement taught some 3,500 students in the Slavonic language and the Glagolitic alphabet. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11;

Constantinople, 835-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria
Albania, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Albania, disciple of Cyril and Methodios, services in Slavonic, sold as slaves in 886, ransomed from Venice, Moravia colapsed 907, to Bulgaria, Slavonic s, teach in Kutmichivisa Clement of Ohrid (c. 830-840 – 916) was one of the first Medieval Bulgarian saints,[6] scholar, writer and enlightener of the Slavs.[7][8][9][10][11] was one of the most prominent disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts, especially their popularisation among Christianised Slavs. was the founder of the Ohrid Literary School and is regarded as a patron of education and language by some Slavic people. is considered to be the first bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church,[12][13] one of the Seven Apostles of Bulgarian Orthodox Church and one of the premier saints of modern Bulgaria.[14] mission of Saint Clement was the crucial factor which transformed the Slavs in Macedonia into Bulgarians.[15] Saint Clement is also the patron saint of North Macedonia, the city of Ohrid[5] and the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[16][17] Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar1 were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11). first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeeded Saint Methodios as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian Prince Svyatopolk. struggle centered around the questions of the need for Divine Services in Slavonic, the Filioque, and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church Services), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodios to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their Spiritual Father, Saint Methodios. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the Saints and took them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Saints Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees by the same routes followed earlier by the Saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct Divine Services in the Slavonic language. Bulgarian Prince Boris sought people such as the disciples of Saint Methodios, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. Right away, the Saints began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon reposed, and Saint Clement was appointed to teach at Kutmichivitsa, in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church, a teacher had to be a worthy person, someone known for his devout life, and who was able to speak well in public. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, he worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which was highly regarded by the time of Simeon's reign. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for ordination amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically trained clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the Saint not to abandon his cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Okhrid, to a monastery he founded. There he continued his work of translation, including some important portions of the Pentecostarion. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. His body was placed in a coffin, which he had made with his own hands, and was buried at Okhrid's Saint Panteleimon Monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. Not only did he continue the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodios, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by devout Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery which bears his name, near Lake Okhrid. Clement is also commemorated on November 22 (Greek usage), on November 25 (his Name Day), and on July 27 (the day of his blessed repose). His name may come from the Greek word αναγορεύω (to proclaim).

Constantinople, 835-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, slavonic translator
Albania, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, of Five Followers, great learning, languages, Rome to Orchrid, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, prayer, slavonic translator, incorrupt relics; Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Nahum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), one of their coworkers known as the Five Followers. Nahum was a man of great learning, and he spoke several languages. After a visit to Rome, he settled on the shores of Lake Ochrid. There he built a monastery at the time when Saint Clement of Ochrid (July 27) was serving as a bishop. monks gathered around Saint Nahum, who was known as a great wonderworker and a man of prayer. also labored to translate the Holy Scriptures from Greek into Slavonic. Nahum fell asleep in the Lord in 910, and his holy relics continue to work miracles of healing for those who venerate them in faith.

Constantinople, 838, Sack of Amorium, Phrygia, Sakarya River 3, Saracens capture 42 generals
Phrygia, 838, Sack of Amorium; Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). As a result of treason on the part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria. the seven years of their imprisonment, their captors tried in vain to persuade them to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. The captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before executing them. The martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim. of the captives, Theodore, had renounced the priestly office to become a general. His captors taunted him, “We know that you forsook the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept Mohammed.” But the martyr replied, “You do not speak truthfully when you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have committed against Him.” executioners took each one separately and led him off to be beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the “All-Blessed” Theodore, the “Unconquered” Callistus, the “Valiant” Constantine, the “Wondrous” Theophilus and “the Most Strong” Basoes. Saints Aetius (Aetitus) and Melissenus were also among the martyrs. betrayer Baditses did not escape his shameful fate. The enemy knew that it is impossible to trust a traitor, and so they killed him.

Constantinople, 842-847, Methodius I , Patriarch, Iconodule
Constantinople, 842-847, Patriarch, Methodius I of Constantinople, Iconodule; Saint Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born in Sicily into a rich family. Having a vocation to serve God, he went while still in his youth off to a monastery on the island of Chios and renovated it with his means. During the reign of the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820), Methodius held the high position of “apokrisiarosâ€ (“advocate for Church mattersâ€) under the holy Patriarch Nikēphóros (June 2). He was dispatched by the patriarch to Rome on a mission to the papacy and he remained there. During this period Leo the Armenian removed Nikēphóros from the patriarchal throne and put on it the iconoclast Theodotus of Melissinea, given the nickname “Kassiterâ€ (“Tinmanâ€) (815-822). After the death of Leo the Armenian, Saint Methodius returned, and in the dignity of presbyter he struggled incessantly against the Iconoclast heresy. emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) at first was noted for his benevolence and he set free many imprisoned by his predecessor for their veneration of icons, but after a while he renewed the persecution against Orthodoxy. Saint Methodius was locked up in prison in Akrita. After the death of Michael the Stammerer, the ruler was Theophilus (829-842), who also was an iconoclast. More refined a man than his father, he set free Saint Methodius, who likewise was a man of learning, superbly skilled in matters not only ecclesial, but also civil. Having received his freedom, Saint Methodius renewed the struggle with the heretics, and for a while the emperor tolerated this. after defeat in a war with the Arabs, Theophilus vented his anger against Methodius, saying, that God had punished him because he had let an “icon-worshipperâ€ come close to him. Methodius objected, saying that the Lord was angry with him for the insults upon His holy icons. They gave the saint over to tortures, and struck him much about the face, from which his jaw was broken. Ugly scars remained on his face. Methodius was sent off to the island of Antigonos and he was locked up there with two robbers in a deep cave. In this dark prison where the light of day did not penetrate, Methodius languished for 7 years until the death of the emperor Theophilus. this time, the holy Confessors Theodore and Theophanes the Branded (December 27), who had also been sent to prison, sent Methodius greetings in verse, and the prisoner replied with greetings in verse, as well. the death of Theophilus, his son Michael III (842-867) began to rule, but not being of mature age, the Byzantine Empire was actually ruled by his mother, the empress Theodora, a venerater of icons. empress tried to extirpate the Iconoclast heresy, and gave orders to free the confessors imprisoned for icon veneration. The heretic Annios occupying the patriarchal throne was banished, and Saint Methodius chosen in his place. At Constantinople was convened a local Council with Saint Methodius presiding (842). The Council restored icon veneration and established an annual celebration of the triumph of Orthodoxy. The “Synodikon of Orthodoxyâ€ compiled by Saint Methodius is read on the First Sunday of Great Lent. to undermine the authority of Saint Methodius, and also the love and esteem of his flock for him, the heretics slandered him as having transgressed chastity. The slander was exposed as such, and the enemies of the saint put to shame. The final years of the saint passed peacefully, he toiled much, wisely guided the Church and his flock, renovated temples ruined by the heretics, gathered up the relics of saints scattered about by the heretics, and transferred the relics of Patriarch Nikēphóros from the place of his imprisonment back to Constantinople. Saint Methodius died in the year 846. He was spiritually close to Ioannikos (4 November), who had foretold that he would become patriarch and also the time of his death. Besides the “Synodikon of Orthodoxy,â€ the holy hierarch also compiled a rule for those converted to the Faith, three rites of marriage and several pastoral sermons and church hymns.

Byzantium, 842-855, Empress, Theodora , Wife of Theophilos, bride show, Iconodule, regent, righteous
Byzantium, 842-855, Empress Theodora , Wife of Theophilos, Iconodule ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; Empress Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast (829-842), but she did not share in the heresy of her husband and secretly venerated the holy icons. After the death of her husband, Saint Theodora governed the realm because her son Michael was a minor. convened a Council, at which the Iconoclasts were anathematized, and the veneration of icons was reinstated. Saint Theodora established the annual celebration of this event, the Triumph of Orthodoxy, on the first Sunday of the Great Fast. Saint Theodora did much for Holy Church and fostered a firm devotion to Orthodoxy in her son Michael. Michael came of age, she was retired from governing and spent eight years in the monastery of Saint Euphrosynē, where she devoted herself to ascetic struggles, and reading books that nourished her soul. copy of the Gospels, copied in her own hand, is known to exist. She died peacefully around the year 867. 1460, her relics were given by the Turks to the people of Kerkyra (Corfu). Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 842-867, George Hamartolos, Historian
Constantinople, 842-867, Historian, George Hamartolos; Hamartolos or Hamartolus was a monk at Constantinople under Michael III (842–867) and the author of a chronicle of some importance. is not his name but the epithet he gives to himself in the title of his work: "A compendious chronicle from various chroniclers and interpreters, gathered together and arranged by George, a sinner. It is a common form among Byzantine monks. Krumbacher (358) protests against the use of this epithet as a name and proposes (and uses) the form Georgios Monachos ("George the Monk"). is known about him except from the internal evidence of his work, which establishes his period (in the preface he speaks of Michael III as the reigning emperor) and his calling (he refers to himself several times as a monk). 1 Chronicle 2 Editions 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links chronicle consists of four books. first treats of profane history from Adam to Alexander the Great; second, of the history of the Old Testament; third, of Roman history from Julius Caesar to Constantine; the fourth down to the author's own time, to the death of the emperor Theophilus (842), whose widow Theodora restored the veneration of icons in the same year. chronicle is potentially the only original contemporary authority for the years 813–842, the other being (depending on its dating) the Scriptor Incertus. Because of this fact, it is indispensable. usually in the case of such medieval chronicles, the only part to be taken seriously is the account of more or less contemporary events. The rest is interesting as an example of Byzantine ideas on the subjects, and of the questions that most interested Byzantine monks. describes his ideal and principles in the preface. He has used ancient Greek and modern Greek sources, has especially consulted edifying works, and has striven to relate such things as were useful and necessary, with a strict adherence to truth, rather than to please the reader by artistic writing or pretensions to literary style. But of so great a mass of material he has chosen only what is most useful and necessary. In effect, the questions that seemed most useful and necessary to ecclesiastical persons at Constantinople in the ninth century are those that are discussed. There are copious pious reflections and theological excursuses. writes of how idols were invented, the origin of monks, the religion of the Saracens, and especially of the Iconoclast controversy that had just ended. Like all monks, he hated iconoclasts. The violence with which he speaks of them shows how recent the storm had been and how the memory of iconoclast persecutions was still fresh when he wrote. He writes out long extracts from Greek Fathers. first book treats of an astonishingly miscellaneous collection of persons — Adam, Nimrod, the Persians, Chaldees, Brahmins, Amazons, etc. the second book, too, although it professes to deal with Bible history only, he has much to say about Plato and philosophers in general. Hamartolus ended his chronicle with the year 842, as a colophon in most manuscripts attests. people, among them notably "Symeon Logothetes", who is probably Symeon Metaphrastes, the famous writer of saints' lives (tenth century, see Krumbacher, 358), continued his history to later dates — the longest continuation reaches to 948. these additions, religious questions are relegated to the background, more attention is devoted to political history, and the language is more popular. Still further continuations of little value go down to 1143. spite of his crude ideas and the violent hatred of iconoclasts that makes him always unjust towards them, his work has considerable value for the history of the last years before the schism of Photius. It was soon translated into Church Slavonic and also in Georgian by Arsen of Iqalto. In these versions it became a sort of fountain-head for all early Slavonic historians, most notably Nestor. a very popular and widely consulted book of large circulation it has been constantly re-edited, corrected, and rearranged by anonymous scribes, so that the reconstruction of the original work is "one of the most difficult problems of Byzantine philology" (Krumbacher, 355). Saint Arsenius of Iqalto, Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Byzantium, 842-867, Emperor, Michael III, Iconodule, fond of uncle Bardas, war with Bul E
Byzantium, 842-867, Emperor, Michael III; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 847-858, Ignatios , Patriarch, Iconodule, Emperor's son, monastery igumen, excommunicated Bardas
Constantinople Patriarch, 847-858, Ignatios of Constantinople; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Ignatius, Patriarch of Constantinople (847-857; 867-877), in the world Nicetas, was of imperial lineage. his father, the emperor Michael I (811-813), was deposed from the imperial throne by Leo the Armenian (813-820), the fifteen-year-old youth Ignatius was imprisoned in a monastery. in the monastery strengthened Saint Ignatius in faith and in piety. Soon he was made igumen of the monastery, and later he was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople. Michael III (855-867) ascended the throne he was still a minor, so the country was actually governed by his uncle, Bardas, an impious and unchaste man. Ignatius urged Bardas to forsake his sinful life and when he refused, Ignatius boldly denounced him for his iniquity. attempted to force Saint Ignatius to tonsure the holy Empress Theodora, mother of the emperor, in order to remove her from governance of the realm. Ignatius did not consent to this, and also publicly excommunicated Bardas. Bardas had Ignatius tortured for fifteen days to force him to resign, and then they sent him into exile. the new emperor came to power, Saint Ignatius was recalled from prison and was Patriarch for another ten years. He died in the year 877 in a monastery. St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Byzantium, 855-867, Emperor, Michael III, Iconodule, regency, B resurgence, uncle Bardas, a Bulgaria
Byzantine Emperor 855-867, Michael III ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; St Stephen the New LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 858-886, Photius 1, Patriarch, Iconodule, tutored Mike III and Cyril, rejected pope
Constantinople Patriarch, 858-886, Photius 1 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

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

Constantinople, 860, Deliverance by Mother of God's Robe from Askold to Baptism of the Rus in 88 by Askold
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Byzantium, 867-886, Emperor, Basil I, Macedonian, Iconodule, poor, blessed by Mike II, killed Mike III
Byzantine Emperor, 867-886, Basil I, the Macedonian; I, called the Macedonian (Greek: ; 811-August 29, 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a simple peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the Imperial court. He entered into the service of Theophilitzes, a relative of Emperor Michael III (r. 842-867), and was given a fortune by the wealthy Danielis. He gained the favour of Michael III, whose mistress he married on the emperor's orders, and was proclaimed co-emperor in 866. He ordered the assassination of Michael the next year. Despite his humble origins, he showed great ability in running the affairs of state. He was the founder of the Macedonian dynasty. He was succeeded upon his death by his son (perhaps actually Michael III's son) Leo VI. Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; St Stephen the "œNew Light" Â of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Constantinople, 869, Synod of 869, not Ecumenical, supported Icons
Synod of 869; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated February 6; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 869, Wonderworking Miasena Icon, hidden in Lake Zagura for a long time
Lake Zagura; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Miasena Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was thrown into Lake Zagura in the ninth century in an effort to save it from the iconoclasts. After a long time, the wonderworking icon emerged from the water unharmed and was brought to the Miasena Monastery. Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Constantinople, 886-893, Stephen I, Patriarch, son o Basil I, but probably o Michael III, castrated by Basil I
Constantinople Patriarch, 886-893 , Stephen I ; I (Greek: Î£Ï„ÎÏ†Î±Î½Î¿Ï‚ Î‘Î„, Stephanos I) (November 867 - 18 May 893) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 886 to 893. at Constantinople, Stephen was the son of Eudokia Ingerina and, officially, Emperor Basil I. However, at the time when he was conceived, Eudokia was the mistress of Emperor Michael III. Consequently, it is most probable that like his older brother Leo VI the Wise, Stephen was Michael's son. by Basil I, Stephen became a monk and was designated for a career in the church since his childhood. In 886 his brother, the new Emperor Leo VI, dismissed the Patriarch Photios and appointed the 19-year-old Stephen as patriarch in his stead.[1] patriarch Stephen participated in the ceremonial reburial of Michael III by Leo VI in the imperial mausoleum attached to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. There are no important events associated with Stephen's patriarchate and the patriarch, who acquired a reputation for piety, died in May 893 at the age of 25. His feast day in the Orthodox Church is on May 18.[2] St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17;

Byzantium, 886-912, Emperor, Leo VI, Wise, c R of Letters, l ground to Bulgrs and Arabs, d Senate
Byzantine Emperor, 886-912, Leo VI the Wise ; VI, called the Wise or the Philosopher (Greek: , romanized: Len ho Sophos, 19 September 866 -11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well-read, leading to his epithet. During his reign, the renaissance of letters, begun by his predecessor Basil I, continued; but the Empire also saw several military defeats in the Balkans against Bulgaria and against the Arabs in Sicily and the Aegean. His reign also witnessed the formal discontinuation of several ancient Roman institutions, such as the Roman consul and Senate (in this period also known as the Byzantine Senate), which continued to exist in name only and lost much of their original functions and powers. Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; St Stephen the œNew LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated on December 10; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Byzantium, 886-897, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused, Ascetic Saint, Rplcd by Zoe
Byzantium, 886-897, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused w husband, Saint, Ascetic; Martinakia (866/67 - 10 November 897[1]) was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to Leo VI the Wise. She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Byzantine Emperor, 886-912, Leo VI the Wise ; VI, called the Wise or the Philosopher (19 September 866-“ 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), was very well-read, leading to his epithet. During his reign, the renaissance of letters, begun by his predecessor Basil I, continued; the Empire also saw several military defeats in the Balkans against Bulgaria and against the Arabs in Sicily and the Aegean. reign also witnessed the formal discontinuation of several ancient Roman institutions, such as the Roman consul and Senate (in this period also known as the Byzantine Senate), which continued to exist in name only and lost much of their original functions and powers. Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; Holy Empress Theophano was the first wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911). and Leo were locked up in prison for three years, because Leo was falsely accused of intending to assassinate his father, Emperor Basil the Macedonian. After receiving her freedom, she spent her life in prayer and fasting, earnestly struggling for her salvation. in the world, she renounced everything worldly. She was a benefactor to the poor, and was generous toward monasteries. She was a true mother to her subjects, caring for widows and orphans, and consoling the sorrowful. Saint Theophano died in 893 or 894. before her death her husband started to build a church, intending to dedicate it to Theophano, but she forbade him to do so. It was this emperor who decreed that the Sunday after Pentecost be dedicated to All Saints. Believing that his wife was one of the righteous, he knew that she would also be honored whenever the Feast of All Saints was celebrated. holy relics are preserved in Constantinople.

Constantinople, 890-936, Andrew, Fool for Christ, Jesus called him to Fool for h reward
Constantinople, 890-936, Saint Andrew of Constantinople, Fool for Christ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Andrew, Fool-for-Christ, was a Slav and lived in the tenth century at Constantinople. From his early years, he loved God’s Church and the Holy Scriptures. Once during a dream, the saint beheld a vision of two armies. In the one were men in radiant garb, in the other, black and fiercesome devils. An angel of God, who held wondrous crowns, said to Andrew, that t f forhese crowns were not adornments from the earthly world, but rather a celestial treasure, with which the Lord rewards His warriors, victorious over the dark hordes. “Proceed with this good deed,” the angel said to Andrew. “Be a fool for My sake and you will receive much in the day of My Kingdom.” saint perceived that it was the Lord Himself summoning him to this deed. From that time Andrew began to go about the streets in rags, as though his mind had become muddled. For many years the saint endured mockery and insults. With indifference he underwent beatings, hunger and thirst, cold and heat, begging alms and giving them away to the poor. For his great forebearance and humility the saint received from the Lord the gift of prophecy and wisdom, saving many from spiritual perils, and he unmasked the impiety of many. praying at the Blachernae church, Saint Andrew beheld the Most Holy Mother of God, holding her veil over those praying under her Protection (October 1). Blessed Andrew died in the year 936.

Constantinople, 879-880, Eighth Ecumenical Council, rejected Pope's support of Ignatius, for Photius
Eighth Ecumenical Council; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ;

Constantinople, 893-901, Antony II, Patriarch, pious, strict monastic, servant of all, w Leo the Wise
Constantinople Patriarch, 893-901, Antony II ; II Kauleas was Patriarch of Constantinople from 893 to February 12, 901. monk by age 12, Antony Kauleas became a priest and the abbot of an unnamed monastery. He came to the attention of Stylianos Zaoutzes, the all-powerful minister of Emperor Leo VI. Antony had supported Leo against the former Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople, and had contributed to the pacification of the Church by effecting a compromise between the supporters of Photios and Ignatios. The emperor appointed Antony patriarch after the death of his own brother, Patriarch Stephen I of Constantinople in 893. Antony II was a pious man who generously endowed monastic foundations and founded or re-founded the Kaulea monastery with the support of the emperor, who preached at the church's dedication. Buried in the church of his monastery, Antony was held responsible for various miracles. He was canonized as a saint by both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches and he is commemorated on February 12. St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Anthony, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a native of Asia, but lived in Constantinople from his youth. He was born around 829 of rich and pious parents. After the death of his mother, he entered a monastery at the age of twelve, where following the example of the igumen, he spent his nights in prayer and led a strict monastic life. the passage of time, and against his will, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. Later, at the insistence of the Patriarch, he was made an igumen. Serving in this rank, he tonsured his own father into monasticism. Saint Anthony was distinguished by his mercy, by his love and concern for the destitute, and he provided generous help to them. to the Patriarchal throne at Constantinople in 893, Saint Anthony intensified his care for the destitute, and especially for their spiritual condition. With the assistance of the emperor Leo the Wise, Patriarch Anthony did much good for the Church, and encouraged piety in the people. He also built a monastery over the relics of Saint Kallia (February 12). Despite being stooped over with age, he went around all the churches, fulfilling the command of the Savior to be the servant of all the brethren. the year 895, advanced in age, Saint Anthony went peacefully to the Lord. St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3 ;

Constantinople, 895-901, Nicholas 1, Patriarch, Mystikos, actually from 901-925
Constantinople, 895-901, Patriarch, Nicholas 1, Nicholas Mystikos; I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus (852 - 11 May 925) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from March 901 to February 907 and from May 912 to his death in 925. His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is 16 May.[1] was born in the Italian Peninsula and had become a friend of the Patriarch Photios. He fell into disfavor after Photios' dismissal in 886 and retired to a monastery. Emperor Leo VI the Wise retrieved him from the monastery and made him mystikos, a dignity designating either the imperial secretary or a judicial official. 1 March 901, Nicholas was appointed patriarch. However, he fell out with Leo VI over the latter's fourth marriage to his mistress Zoe Karbonopsina. Although he reluctantly baptized the fruit of this relationship, the future Constantine VII, Nicholas forbade the emperor from entering the church and may have become involved in the revolt of Andronikos Doukas. He was deposed as patriarch on 1 February 907 and replaced by Euthymios. Exiled to his own monastery, Nicholas regarded his deposition as unjustified and involved Pope Sergius III in the dispute. the time of the accession of Leo VI's brother Alexander to the throne in May 912, Nicholas was restored to the patriarchate. A protracted struggle with the supporters of Euthymios followed, which did not end until the new Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos promulgated the Tomos of Union in 920. In the meantime Alexander had died in 913 after provoking a war with Bulgaria, and the underage Constantine VII succeeded to the throne. Nicholas Mystikos became the leading member of the seven-man regency for the young emperor, and as such had to face the advance of Simeon I of Bulgaria on Constantinople. Nicholas negotiated a peaceful settlement, crowned Simeon emperor of the Bulgarians in a makeshift ceremony outside Constantinople, and arranged for the marriage of Simeon's daughter to Constantine VII. unpopular concession undermined his position, and by March 914, with the support of the magistros John Eladas, Zoe Karbonopsina overthrew Nicholas and replaced him as foremost regent. She revoked the agreement with Simeon, prompting the renewal of hostilities with Bulgaria. With her main supporter Leo Phokas crushingly defeated by the Bulgarians at the Battle of Acheloos in 917, Zoe started to lose ground. Embarrassed by further failures, she and her supporters were supplanted in 919 by the admiral Romanos Lekapenos, who married his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine VII and finally advanced to the imperial throne in 920. The Patriarch Nicholas came to be one of the strongest supporters of the new emperor, and took the brunt of renewed negotiations with the Bulgarians until his death in 925. addition to his numerous letters to various notables and foreign rulers (including Simeon of Bulgaria), Nicholas Mystikos wrote a homily on the sack of Thessalonica by the Arabs in 904. He was a critical thinker who went as far as to question the authority of Old Testament quotations and the notion that the emperor's command was unwritten law. St. Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Saint Peter zealously devoted himself to monastic labors, and he excelled all his fellows. This came to the attention of the Italian bishop Nicholas (who from 895 was Patriarch of Constantinople), who wanted to elevate him to the rank of bishop. Saint Peter declined, accounting himself unworthy of such honor. Nicholas consecrated Paul, Saint Peter’s brother, as Bishop of Corinth, and Saint Peter went to his brother and lived with him, taking upon himself the spiritual struggle of silence. After a year emissaries came to Bishop Paul from the city of Argos, where the bishop had died, and they asked for Saint Peter as their bishop. After long and intense entreaties, Saint Peter finally gave his consent. As bishop, Saint Peter toiled zealously in guiding his flock. He was extraordinarily compassionate, concerning himself with those in need, especially orphans and widows.

Constantinople, 900-999, Folder, 10th Century, Russian Incursion and Treaty

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

Byzantium, 910s-968, General, Bardas Phokas the Elder, f of Nikephoros II Phokas, Caesar
Byzantium, 910s-968, Byzantine General, Bardas Phokas the Elder, father of Nikephoros II Phokas; Phokas (Greek:) (c. 878- 968) was a notable Byzantine general in the first half of the 10th century, and father of Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and the kouropalates Leo Phokas the Younger. was the scion of the Phokas family, one of the great houses of the Anatolian military aristocracy, his father was Nikephoros Phokas the Elder, an eminent Byzantine general with a distinguished record of service in Italy. In 917, he participated under the orders of his elder brother Leo in the disastrous Battle of Acheloos. 941, he was governor of the Theme of Armeniakon, in the area previously known as Paphlagonia. In this year the Rus' navy under the leadership of Igor I of Kiev attacked the Empire. Driven off from Constantinople, the Rus' landed in Bithynia and ravaged it. Bardas kept the attackers from doing too much damage with his local militia levies until the larger Byzantine army under John Kourkouas came and drove the Rus' out. 945 he was appointed supreme commander of the Byzantine armies of the East by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. In this command he did not make much progress against the Arab forces, being repeatedly defeated by Sayf al-Daula, emir of Aleppo. In 953, he was defeated and severely wounded by Sayf and after further defeats, he was replaced by his son Nikephoros in 954/955. Nikephoros came to the throne he made his father Caesar, only a step below the imperial title. He died about 968 at the age of 90. of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Byzantium, 910s-991, General, Bardas Skleros, Asian Rebellion
Byzantium, 910s-991, Byzantine General, Bardas Skleros, Asian Rebellion ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Byzantium, 913-959, Emperor, Constantine VII, Geoponica (ag lore), born in the purple, regents, Writer
Byzantine Emperor 913-959, Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos ; VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus (Byzantine Greek:, romanized: ; 17/18 May 905 -“ 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, and the nephew of his predecessor Emperor Alexander. Most of his reign was dominated by co-regents: from 913 until 919 he was under the regency of his mother, while from 920 until 945 he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos, whose daughter Helena he married, and his sons. Constantine VII is best known for the Geoponika (), an important agronomic treatise compiled during his reign, and his four books, De Administrando Imperio (bearing in Greek the heading).[3][4] The epithet porphyrogenitus alludes to the Purple chamber of the imperial palace, decorated with porphyry, where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. Constantine was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimate son, as opposed to all others, who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Eastern Roman line of succession over elder sons not born "in the purple". Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century;

Byzantium, 919-944, Emperor, Romanus, the Elder, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor 919-944, Romanus ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite,Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople; Commemorated on April 19; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Constantinople, 928-931, Patriarch, Tryphon, Locum tenens patriach for emperors son, treacherously removed
Constantinople, 928-931, Patriarch, Tryphon of Constantinople; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople; Commemorated on April 19; Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a monk from the time of his youth, distinguished by his meekness, lack of malice, full submission to the will of God, and his firm faith and love for the Church. this time the emperor Romanus (919-944) ruled in Constantinople. He wanted to elevate his younger son Theophylactus to the patriarchal throne. When Patriarch Stephanos (925-928) died, Theophylactus was only sixteen years old. The emperor then suggested that Saint Tryphon be “locum tenens” of the patriarchal throne until Theophylactus came of age. Tryphon meekly accepted the burden of patriarchal service and for three years he wisely governed the Church. When Theophylactus turned twenty (931), the emperor told Saint Tryphon to resign the patriarchal throne. Saint Tryphon did not consider it proper to hand over the throne to an inexperienced youth, and he refused to do so. The emperor could not intimidate Saint Tryphon, since his life was blameless. Then Romanus employed the cunning counsels of Bishop Theophilus of Caesarea. deceitful bishop went to Saint Tryphon and urged him not to obey the emperor, and not to resign the patriarchal throne. Then Bishop Theophilus craftily obtained Saint Tryphon’s signature on a blank sheet of paper. Not suspecting any treachery, the guileless saint took a clean sheet of paper and wrote: “Tryphon, by the Mercy of God, Archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.” they presented this paper to the emperor, he ordered them to write over the saint’s signature: “I hereby resign the position of Patriarch, because I consider myself unworthy of this office.” When this false document was read before the imperial dignitaries, servants removed Saint Tryphon from the patriarchal chambers. Tryphon patiently endured the injustice done to him, and returned to his own monastery. He lived there as a simple monk for a year before his death (+ 933). His body was taken to Constantinople and buried with the Patriarchs.

Constantinople, 931-967, Peter the King of Bulgaria, Christian piety, w John of Rila Monastery
Bulgaria, 931-967, Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Christian piety, John of Rila Monastery, advantageous peace w Byzantium, autonomy of Bulgarian Church, extripation of Bogomil heresy; Rila Monastery ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian prince Simeon. Saint Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and he often turned to Saint John of Rila (August 18, October 19), asking his prayers, spiritual guidance and advice. Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church, and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all the Bulgarian Church. Peter aided in the successful extirpation of the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He died in the year 967, at fifty-six years of age.

Constantinople, 933-956, Patriarch, Theophylact, emperor's son, chose castration
Constantinople Patriarch, 933-956, Theophylact of Constantinople; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople; Commemorated on April 19; Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a monk from the time of his youth, distinguished by his meekness, lack of malice, full submission to the will of God, and his firm faith and love for the Church. At this time the emperor Romanus (919-944) ruled in Constantinople. He wanted to elevate his younger son Theophylactus to the patriarchal throne. When Patriarch Stephanos (925-928) died, Theophylactus was only sixteen years old. The emperor then suggested that Saint Tryphon be “locum tenens” of the patriarchal throne until Theophylactus came of age. Saint Tryphon meekly accepted the burden of patriarchal service and for three years he wisely governed the Church. When Theophylactus turned twenty (931), the emperor told Saint Tryphon to resign the patriarchal throne. Saint Tryphon did not consider it proper to hand over the throne to an inexperienced youth, and he refused to do so. The emperor could not intimidate Saint Tryphon, since his life was blameless. Then Romanus employed the cunning counsels of Bishop Theophilus of Caesarea. deceitful bishop went to Saint Tryphon and urged him not to obey the emperor, and not to resign the patriarchal throne. Then Bishop Theophilus craftily obtained Saint Tryphon’s signature on a blank sheet of paper. Not suspecting any treachery, the guileless saint took a clean sheet of paper and wrote: “Tryphon, by the Mercy of God, Archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.” they presented this paper to the emperor, he ordered them to write over the saint’s signature: “I hereby resign the position of Patriarch, because I consider myself unworthy of this office.” When this false document was read before the imperial dignitaries, servants removed Saint Tryphon from the patriarchal chambers. Tryphon patiently endured the injustice done to him, and returned to his own monastery. He lived there as a simple monk for a year before his death (+ 933). His body was taken to Constantinople and buried with the Patriarchs. St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Byzantium, 938-986, Symeon the Studite, Philokalia, hidden activity of spiritual perfection, rid passions
Byzantium, 938-986, Saint, Symeon the Studite; Byzantium, 969-1022, Saint, Symeon the New Theologian; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Simeon the New Theologian was born in the year 949 in the city of Galatea (Paphlagonia), and he was educated at Constantinople. father prepared him for a career at court, and for a certain while the youth occupied a high position at the imperial court. he was fourteen, he met the renowned Elder Simeon the Pious at the Studion Monastery, who would be a major influence in his spiritual development. He remained in the world for several years preparing himself for the monastic life under the Elder’s guidance, and finally entered the monastery at the age of twenty-seven. Simeon the Pious recommended to the young man the writings of Saint Mark the Ascetic (March 5) and other spiritual writers. He read these books attentively and tried to put into practice what he read. Three points made by Saint Mark in his work “On the Spiritual Law” (see Vol. I of the English Philokalia) particularly impressed him. you should listen to your conscience and do what it tells you if you wish your soul to be healed (Philokalia, p. 115). only by fulfilling the commandments can one obtain the activity of the Holy Spirit. one who prays only with the body and without spiritual knowledge is like the blind man who cried out, “Son of David, have mercy upon me” (Luke 18:38) (Philokalia, p. 111). When the blind man received his sight, however, he called Christ the Son of God (John 9:38). Simeon was wounded with a love for spiritual beauty, and tried to acquire it. In addition to the Rule given him by his Elder, his conscience told him to add a few more Psalms and prostrations, and to repeat constantly, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” Naturally, he heeded his conscience. the day, he cared for the needs of people living in the palace of Patricius. At night, his prayers grew longer and he remained praying until midnight. as he was praying in this way, a most brilliant divine radiance descended upon him and filled the room. He saw nothing but light all around him, and he was not even aware of the ground beneath his feet. seemed to him that he himself became light. Then his mind rose upward to the heavens, and he saw a second light brighter than the light which surrounded him. Then, on the edge of this second light, he seemed to see Saint Simeon the Pious, who had given him Saint Mark the Ascetic to read. years after this vision, Saint Simeon entered the monastery. There he increased his fasting and vigilance, and learned to renounce his own will. Enemy of our salvation stirred up the brethren of the monastery against Saint Simeon, who was indifferent to the praises or reproaches of others. Because of the increased discontent in the monastery, Saint Simeon was sent to the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople. he was tonsured into the monastic schema, and increased his spiritual struggles. He attained to a high spiritual level, and increased his knowledge of spiritual things through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as well as in conversation with holy Elders. the year 980, Saint Simeon was made igumen of the monastery of Saint Mamas and continued in this office for twenty-five years. He repaired and restored the monastery, which had suffered from neglect, and also brought order to the life of the monks. strict monastic discipline, for which Saint Simeon strove, led to great dissatisfaction among the brethren. Once, after Liturgy, some of the monks attacked him and nearly killed him. When the Patriarch of Constantinople expelled them from the monastery and wanted to hand them over to the civil authorities, Saint Simeon asked that they be treated with leniency and be permitted to live in the world. the year 1005, Saint Simeon resigned his position as igumen in favor of Arsenius, while he himself settled near the monastery in peace. There he composed his theological works, portions of which appear in the Philokalia. chief theme of his works is the hidden activity of spiritual perfection, and the struggle against the passions and sinful thoughts. He wrote instructions for monks: “Theological and Practical Chapters,” “A Treatise on the Three Methods of Prayer,” (in Vol. IV of the English Philokalia) and “A Treatise on Faith.” Moreover, Saint Simeon was an outstanding church poet. He also wrote “Hymns of Divine Love,” about seventy poems filled with profound prayerful meditations. sublime teachings of Saint Simeon about the mysteries of mental prayer and spiritual struggle have earned him the title “the New Theologian.” These teachings were not the invention of Saint Simeon, but they had merely been forgotten over time. of these teachings seemed unacceptable and strange to his contemporaries. This led to conflict with Constantinople’s church authorities, and Saint Simeon was banished from the city. He withdrew across the Bosphorus and settled in the ancient monastery of Saint Makrina. saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1021. During his life he received the gift of working miracles. Numerous miracles also took place after his death; one of them was the miraculous discovery of his icon.

Byzantium, 944, Russia, Treaty of Igor, with Russia, Joint admin of Cherson and Dnieper Mouth
Treaty of Igor (of Kiev) with the Greeks in the year 944; Translation of the "Image Not-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Constantinople, 943, Appearance of Theotokos at Blachernae church, praying christian protection from pagan Rus
Constantinople, 950, Appearance of Theotokos at Blachernae church; Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1;

Byzantium, 944-959, Emperor, Constantine VII, writer, Ag treatise and 4 books, Igor Treaty 944, Olga baptism 955
Byzantine Emperor, 944-959, Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (in the Purple); VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus (17/18 May 905 -“ 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, and the nephew of his predecessor Emperor Alexander. of his reign was dominated by co-regents: from 913 until 919 he was under the regency of his mother, while from 920 until 945 he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos, whose daughter Helena he married, and his sons. VII is best known for the Geoponika, an important agronomic treatise compiled during his reign, and his four books, De Administrando Imperio,[2] De Ceremoniis, De Thematibus, and Vita Basilii .[3][4] epithet porphyrogenitus alludes to the Purple chamber of the imperial palace, decorated with porphyry, where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. Constantine was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimate son, as opposed to all others, who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Eastern Roman line of succession over elder sons not born "in the purple". Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands" of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Nikon Metanoeite,"the Preacher of Repentance", Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Constantinople, 956, Transfer of John the Baptist's Right Hand, From Antioch
Byzantium, 956, Transfer of John the Baptist's Right Hand, From Antioch; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7 ;

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

Byzantium, 963-969, Emperor, Nikephorus Phokas, Orthodox, brilliant Military exploits, Great Lavra
Byzantine Emperor, 963-969, Nikephorus Phokas ; II Phokas (c. 912 - 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of the Byzantine Empire during the 10th century. His reign, however, included controversy. In the west, he inflamed conflict with the Bulgarians and saw Sicily completely turn over to the Muslims, while he failed to make any serious gains in Italy following the incursions of Otto I. Meanwhile, in the east, he completed the conquest of Cilicia and even retook the island of Cyprus, thus opening the path for subsequent Byzantine incursions reaching as far as Upper Mesopotamia and the Levant. His administrative policy was less successful, as in order to finance these wars he increased taxes both on the people and on the church, while maintaining unpopular theological positions and alienating many of his most powerful allies. These included his nephew John Tzimiskes, who would take the throne after killing Nikephoros in his sleep. Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œQuick to Hear"Â, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Neophytus the Co-Founder of the Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Byzantium, 969-976, Emperor, Tzimiskes, adulterous, murdered Nike, intuitive successful general, strengthened expanded Empire
Byzantine Emperor, 969-976, John I Tzimiskes; I Tzimiskes (c. 925 - 10 January 976) was the senior Byzantine Emperor from 11 December 969 to 10 January 976. An intuitive and successful general, he strengthened the Empire and expanded its borders during his short reign.[1] Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 24; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12;

Byzantium, 969-1022, Symeon the New Theologian, hidden activity of spiritual perfection, passions struggle, Philokalia
Byzantium, 969-1022, Saint, Symeon the New Theologian; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Simeon the New Theologian was born in the year 949 in the city of Galatea (Paphlagonia), and he was educated at Constantinople. father prepared him for a career at court, and for a certain while the youth occupied a high position at the imperial court. When he was fourteen, he met the renowned Elder Simeon the Pious at the Studion Monastery, who would be a major influence in his spiritual development. He remained in the world for several years preparing himself for the monastic life under the Elder’s guidance, and finally entered the monastery at the age of twenty-seven. Simeon the Pious recommended to the young man the writings of Saint Mark the Ascetic (March 5) and other spiritual writers. He read these books attentively and tried to put into practice what he read. Three points made by Saint Mark in his work “On the Spiritual Law” (see Vol. I of the English Philokalia) particularly impressed him. First, you should listen to your conscience and do what it tells you if you wish your soul to be healed (Philokalia, p. 115). Second, only by fulfilling the commandments can one obtain the activity of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, one who prays only with the body and without spiritual knowledge is like the blind man who cried out, “Son of David, have mercy upon me” (Luke 18:38) (Philokalia, p. 111). When the blind man received his sight, however, he called Christ the Son of God (John 9:38). Simeon was wounded with a love for spiritual beauty, and tried to acquire it. In addition to the Rule given him by his Elder, his conscience told him to add a few more Psalms and prostrations, and to repeat constantly, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” Naturally, he heeded his conscience. the day, he cared for the needs of people living in the palace of Patricius. At night, his prayers grew longer and he remained praying until midnight. Once, as he was praying in this way, a most brilliant divine radiance descended upon him and filled the room. He saw nothing but light all around him, and he was not even aware of the ground beneath his feet. seemed to him that he himself became light. Then his mind rose upward to the heavens, and he saw a second light brighter than the light which surrounded him. Then, on the edge of this second light, he seemed to see Saint Simeon the Pious, who had given him Saint Mark the Ascetic to read. years after this vision, Saint Simeon entered the monastery. There he increased his fasting and vigilance, and learned to renounce his own will. Enemy of our salvation stirred up the brethren of the monastery against Saint Simeon, who was indifferent to the praises or reproaches of others. Because of the increased discontent in the monastery, Saint Simeon was sent to the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople. he was tonsured into the monastic schema, and increased his spiritual struggles. He attained to a high spiritual level, and increased his knowledge of spiritual things through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as well as in conversation with holy Elders. the year 980, Saint Simeon was made igumen of the monastery of Saint Mamas and continued in this office for twenty-five years. He repaired and restored the monastery, which had suffered from neglect, and also brought order to the life of the monks. strict monastic discipline, for which Saint Simeon strove, led to great dissatisfaction among the brethren. Once, after Liturgy, some of the monks attacked him and nearly killed him. When the Patriarch of Constantinople expelled them from the monastery and wanted to hand them over to the civil authorities, Saint Simeon asked that they be treated with leniency and be permitted to live in the world. the year 1005, Saint Simeon resigned his position as igumen in favor of Arsenius, while he himself settled near the monastery in peace. There he composed his theological works, portions of which appear in the Philokalia. chief theme of his works is the hidden activity of spiritual perfection, and the struggle against the passions and sinful thoughts. He wrote instructions for monks: “Theological and Practical Chapters,” “A Treatise on the Three Methods of Prayer,” (in Vol. IV of the English Philokalia) and “A Treatise on Faith.” Moreover, Saint Simeon was an outstanding church poet. He also wrote “Hymns of Divine Love,” about seventy poems filled with profound prayerful meditations. sublime teachings of Saint Simeon about the mysteries of mental prayer and spiritual struggle have earned him the title “the New Theologian.” These teachings were not the invention of Saint Simeon, but they had merely been forgotten over time. of these teachings seemed unacceptable and strange to his contemporaries. This led to conflict with Constantinople’s church authorities, and Saint Simeon was banished from the city. He withdrew across the Bosphorus and settled in the ancient monastery of Saint Makrina. saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1021. During his life he received the gift of working miracles. Numerous miracles also took place after his death; one of them was the miraculous discovery of his icon. Life was written by his cell-attendant and disciple, Saint Nicetas Stethatos. March 12 falls during Great Lent, Saint Simeon’s Feast is transferred to October 12.

Byzantium, 976-991, General, Bardas Skleros, Armenian, led Asian revolt against Basil II
Byzantium, 976-991, General, Bardas Skleros, led Asian revolt against Basil II; Skleros or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II during the years 976 to 979. 1 Background 2 Rebellion 3 Later years 4 Descendants 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources belonged to the great family of the Skleroi, which owned enormous estates at the eastern outskirts of Asia Minor. His mother Gregoria descended from Basil I's brother Bardas. greatest coup of his early career was a brilliant defense of Constantinople against the army of Svyatoslav I of Kiev in 970. the Battle of Arcadiopolis, he reportedly managed to inflict as many as 20,000 casualties on the Rus, while the campaign claimed the lives of merely 25 Greek soldiers. he had shown himself equal to dealing with the fiercest enemies of Byzantium, Bardas became a trusted advisor to John I Tzimiskes, who was his brother-in-law and a fellow Armenian. John's death, Skleros aspired to replace him as an acting emperor. The eunuch Basil Lekapenos, who actually led the imperial government, entertained other plans, however, deposing Bardas from his key post of general in the East in 976. to Michael Psellos, Skleros was "a man who was not only a competent planner, but extremely clever in carrying out his schemes, possessed of vast wealth (no mean asset in one who aimed at a throne), with the prestige of royal blood and of success in great wars, with all the military caste at his side to help on his enterprise."[1] between the armies of Skleros and Phokas, miniature from the Madrid Skylitzes hearing the news of his deposition, Skleros came to an agreement with local Armenian, Georgian and even Muslim rulers who all vowed to support his claims to the imperial crown. He successfully stirred up rebellion among his relatives and adherents in the Asian provinces, rapidly making himself master of Caesaria, Antioch, and most of Asia Minor. several navy commanders defected to Skleros's side, he dashed to Constantinople, threatening to blockade the Dardanelles. The rebel navy under Michael Kourtikios raided the Aegean and attempted to blockade the Dardanelles, but were defeated by the Imperial Fleet under the command of Theodoros Karantenos. lost supremacy at sea, Skleros at once laid siege to the town of Nicaea, which was considered a key to the capital. The town was fortified by a certain Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, father of the future emperor Isaac Komnenos and progenitor of the Komnenoi dynasty. Basil recalled from exile Bardas Phokas the Younger, a general who had revolted in the previous reign and been interned in a monastery for seven years. Phokas proceeded to Sebastea in the East, where his family demesnes were situated. He came to an understanding with David III Kuropalates of Tao, who pledged 12,000 Georgian horsemen under the command of Tornikios to Phokas' aid. instantly left Nicaea for the East and defeated Phokas in two battles, but the latter was victorious in a third. On March 24, 979 two leaders clashed in single combat, with Skleros cutting the right ear of Phocas' horse with his lance before sustaining a grave wound to the head. The rumour of his death put his army to flight, but Skleros himself found shelter with his Muslim allies. Thereupon the rebellion was subdued without difficulty. years article: Rebellion of Bardas Phokas the Younger the Asian potentates refused to support his further operations against Constantinople, Skleros and his family retreated to Baghdad in 980. They resided in honourable captivity at the Abbasid Caliph's court for six years, dreaming about the invasion of Byzantium. 987 Skleros was finally recalled to his homeland by Phokas, who took advantage of the Bulgarian wars to aim at the crown. Skleros promptly mustered an army to support Phokas's cause, but his plans of profiting from the attendant disorders were frustrated when Phokas had him committed to prison. Phokas' death at the Battle of Abydos (989), Skleros succeeded him as the leader of the rebellion: "The truth was, the men who had enrolled in Skleros's army were no longer divided in their loyalties: every one of them was a declared rebel. Their leader inspired them with his own resolute determination and bound them into one coherent body. By favours he won their loyalty, by his kindliness he earned their devotion. He reconciled their differences, ate at the same table as his men, drank from the same cup, called them by name, and by his flattery bound them to his allegiance" (Michael Psellos). date of his surrender to the authorities is disputed, as are the circumstances. In 991 Skleros, a blinded and broken man, then residing in semi-captivity in Thrace, was visited by Emperor Basil II on his way to Bulgaria. The famous rebel accepted the title of curopalates and died several days later, presumably on April 2. bloodline of Bardas Skleros continued, however. A grandson, Basil Skleros, was married to a sister of Emperor Romanos III. One of Basil's daughters married Constantine Monomachos, who would become Emperor, while Basil's granddaughter became mistress of Constantine. One of these women was the grandmother of Vladimir Monomakh. Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; Saint (John) Tornike of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Byzantium, 976-1025, Emperor, Basil II, Bulgar Slayer, civil war with 2 Bardas gens, Expansion, over Bulgarian E
Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; II Porphyrogenitus (c.958 -“ 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer [note 3] was the senior Byzantine Emperor for almost 50 years (10 January 976 -“ 15 December 1025), having been a junior colleague to other emperors since 960. He and his brother Constantine[note 4] were named as co-rulers before their father Romanos II died in 963. The throne went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas (r. 963-“969) then John Tzimiskes (r. 969-“976), before Basil became senior emperor. His influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos was the de facto ruler of the Byzantine Empire until 985.[note 5] Basil II then held power for forty years. early years of Basil's reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Anatolian aristocracy; first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death and Skleros' submission in 989. then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire and the complete subjugation of the First Bulgarian Empire, its foremost European foe, after a prolonged struggle. Although the Byzantine Empire had made a truce with the Fatimid Caliphate in 987-“988, Basil led a campaign against the Caliphate that ended with another truce in 1000. He also conducted a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate that gained the Byzantine Empire part of Crimea and a series of successful campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia. near-constant warfare, Basil distinguished himself as an administrator, reducing the power of the great land-owning families who dominated the Empire's administration and military, filling its treasury, and leaving it with its greatest expanse in four centuries. his successors were largely incapable rulers, the Empire flourished for decades after Basil's death. One of the most important decisions taken during his reign was to offer the hand of his sister Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for military support, thus forming the Byzantine military unit known as the Varangian Guard. marriage of Anna and Vladimir led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and the incorporation of later successor states of Kievan Rus' within the Byzantine cultural and religious tradition. Basil is seen as a Greek national hero but as a despised figure among Bulgarians. Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

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

Constantinople, 984-996, Patriarch, Nicholas Chrysoberges, Nicholas II of Constantinople
Constantinople Patriarch, 984-996, Nicholas II of Constantinople; Icon of the Mother of God œIt Is Truly MeetÂ, Commemorated on July 13;

Constantinople, 1000-1099, Folder, 11th Century, Zoe's Husbands, Official East West Church Split

Byzantium, 1025-1028, Emperor, Constantine VIII, Basil II's bro, unmitigated disaster, chose Romanos, Zoe's f
Russia, Kiev, 1025-1028, Kiev Rus King, Constantine VIII, Brother of Basil II; VIII Porphyrogenitus (960 - 11/12 November 1028) was de jure Byzantine Emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Emperor Romanos II and Empress Theophano. He was nominal co-emperor for 63 years, successively with his father; stepfather, Nikephoros II Phokas; uncle, John I Tzimiskes; and brother, Basil II. II died childless on 15 December 1025 and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in Constantine's hands. Constantine had no interest in politics, statecraft or the military. His brief reign is said to have been "an unmitigated disaster", sparking "a collapse of the military power of the Empire". Constantine had no sons, so shortly before his death he married his daughter Zoë to his chosen successor, Romanos Argyros. Russia, Kiev, 960-976, Kiev Rus King, Basil II, Basil the Bulgar Slayer ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Byzantium, 1028-1034, Emperor, Romanos III Argyros, forced to divorce, then killed by Zoe
Byzantine Emperor, 1028-1034, Romanos III Argyros; III Argyros (968 – 11 April 1034), or Romanus III Argyrus, was Byzantine Emperor from 15 November 1028 until his death. was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople when the dying Constantine VIII forced him to divorce his wife and marry the emperor's daughter Zoe. Upon Constantine's death three days later, Romanos took the throne. Romanos has been recorded as a well meaning but ineffective emperor. disorganised the tax system and undermined the military, personally leading a disastrous military expedition against Aleppo. He fell out with his wife and foiled several attempts on his throne, including two which revolved around his sister-in-law Theodora. spent large amounts on the construction and repair of churches and monasteries. He died after six years on the throne, allegedly murdered, and was succeeded by his wife's young lover, Michael IV. Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Merciful"Â, Commemorated on December 27; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Byzantium, 1034-1041, Emperor, Michael IV the Paphlagonian, became E then death by Zoe's affairs
Byzantine Emperor, 1034-1041, Michael IV the Paphlagonian; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Byzantium, 1042-1054, Emperor, Constantine IX Monomachos, Zoe's third, Church Split
Byzantine Emperor, 1042-1054, Constantine IX Monomachos ; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28;

Constantinople, 1043-1059, Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch, Great Schism 1054
Constantinople, 1043-1059, Patriarch, Michael I Cerularius, Great Schism 1054; Byzantine Emperor, 1042-1054, Constantine IX Monomachos ; Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on October 21;

Byzantium, 1057-1059, Emperor, Isaac I Komnenos, Komnenian Dy, raised at Studion
Byzantine Emperor, 1057-1059, Isaac I Komnenos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Byzantium, 1057-1059, Emperor's Commander in Chief, John Komnenos (Domestic of the Schools)
Byzantine Commander in Chief, 1057-1059, John Komnenos (Domestic of the Schools); Byzantine Emperor, 1057-1059, Isaac I Komnenos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Byzantium, 1059-1067, Emperor, Constantine X Doukas, Doukid Dy, lost Italy and Balkans
Byzantine Emperor, 1059-1067, Constantine X Doukas; St Joachim of Osogovo, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Byzantium, 1071-1078, Emperor, Michael VII Doukas, Doukid Dy, not interested
Byzantine Emperor, 1071-1078, Michael VII Doukas; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

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

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

Byzantium, 1078-1081, Emperor, Nikephoros III Botaneiates, famous General, coup by Alexios
Byzantium, 1078-1081, Emperor, Nikephoros III Botaneiates; III Botaneiates, Latinized as Nicephorus III Botaniates (1002 - 10 December 1081), was Byzantine emperor from 7 January 1078 to 1 April 1081. was born in 1002, and became a general during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, serving in the Pecheneg revolt of 1048–1053. His actions in guiding his forces away from the Pechenegs following the Battle of Zygos Pass, in which they suffered eleven days of harassment before finally reaching the Byzantine city of Adrianople, attracted the attention of fellow officers, and he received the title of magistros as a reward. served in the revolt of Isaac I Komnenos against the Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas, leading forces at the decisive Battle of Petroe. Emperor Constantine X Doukas he was made doux of Thessalonica, where he remained until c. 1065, when he was reassigned as doux of Antioch. doux of Antioch, he repelled numerous incursions from the Emirate of Aleppo. When Constantine X died in 1067, his wife, Empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa, considered taking Nikephoros as husband and emperor, but instead chose Romanos IV Diogenes. need for an immediate successor was made pressing by the constant Seljuk raids into Byzantine Anatolia, and Eudokia, Patriarch John VIII of Constantinople, and the Byzantine Senate agreed that their top priority was the defense of the empire and that they needed an emperor to lead troops to repel the Turks. was the favorite candidate of the senate, but was in the field leading troops in Antioch and was still married. once chosen to be emperor, exiled Nikephoros to his holdings in the Anatolic Theme, where he remained until he was brought out of retirement by Emperor Michael VII and made kouropalates and governor of the Anatolic Theme. came into conflict with Michael in 1078 when he pleaded with the emperor to address the worsening situation in Byzantine Anatolia, insulting Michael with his frankness. order to protect himself, Nikephoros gathered an army of native troops and Turkish mercenaries and declared himself emperor on 7 January 1078. Nikephoros gathered a strong support base due to his military acumen and family renown, allowing him to enter Constantinople on 24 March 1078 and seize the throne. As emperor, Nikephoros faced numerous revolts, including those of Nikephoros Bryennios, Nikephoros Basilakes, and Constantine Doukas, as well as an attempted assassination by the Varangian Guard. embraced the trappings of emperor, performing many acts to increase his legitimacy and support, such as spending large amounts on donatives for the army and his supporters, forgiving all debt in arrears, and instituting minor legal reforms. Nikephoros secured the submission of Theodore Gabras and Philaretos Brachamios, governors of Trebizond and Antioch, respectively, who had become de facto independent of the Byzantine Empire due to the constant incursions of the Seljuks into Byzantine Anatolia. 1081, the Norman Duke Robert Guiscard of Apulia prepared to invade the Byzantine Empire under the pretext of defending the succession of Constantine Doukas, who had been engaged to Robert's daughter Helena. Alexios I Komnenos was entrusted with an army and sent to defeat the Norman threat, but instead conspired with his relative John Doukas to seize the throne. Alexios raised a rebellion against Nikephoros and was able to quickly encircle Constantinople and besiege it, due to the lack of a defensive army. Nikephoros was unable to secure the support of either the Seljuk Turks or Nikephoros Melissenos, his traditional rivals, and therefore was forced to prepare for abdication. Nikephoros decided that his only choice was to abdicate in favor of Melissenos, who was nearby in Damalis in Anatolia, and sent messengers to him across the Bosphorus; however, these messengers were intercepted by George Palaiologos, a general of Alexios, who persuaded them to support Alexios. Alexios and his forces broke through the walls of Constantinople on 1 April 1081 and sacked the city. Nikephoros fled and sought sanctuary inside of the Hagia Sophia. Nikephoros was taken from there to the Monastery of Peribleptus, where he abdicated and became a monk. Nikephoros died later that year, on 10 December 1081. Venerable Stephen, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27;

Byzantium, 1081-1118, Emperor, Alexios I, Komenian restoration, curbed B decline, appealed west, normans and turks
Byzantine Emperor, 1081-1118, Alexios I Komnenos; I Komnenos (1048-15 August 1118), Latinized Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. a collapsing empire and faced with constant warfare during his reign against both the Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the Normans in the western Balkans, Alexios was able to curb the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration. basis for this recovery were various reforms initiated by Alexios. His appeals to Western Europe for help against the Turks were also the catalyst that likely contributed to the convoking of the Crusades. Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Merciful"Â, Commemorated on November 12; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Merciful"Â, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Constantinople, 1090 end 11th Century, Merciful Icon of Kykkos Mt, Cyprus, f Egypt to Constantinople to Kykkos by vison to Elder Isaiah
Cyprus, 1090 end 11th Century, Merciful Icon of Kykkos Mountain, Cyprus, from Egypt to Constantinople to Kykkos by vison to Elder Isaiah, many miracles; Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: This icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. At first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. From ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” The wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. The depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodēgḗtria (“Directress”) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Constantinople, 1096, Emperor expells Jews from Korsun, Crimea
Byzantium, 1096, Emperor expells Jews from Korsun, Crimea; 1096 the Polovetsians captured Kiev and ravaged the monastery of the Caves, doing away with many of the monks. Saint Eustratius was taken into captivity, and was sold into slavery with thirty monastic laborers and twenty inhabitants of Kiev to a certain Jew living in Korsun. impious Jew tried to make the captives deny Christ, threatening to kill those who refused by starving them. Saint Eustratius encouraged and exhorted his brother Christians, “Brothers! Let none of us who are baptized and believe in Christ betray the vows made at Baptism. Christ has regenerated us through water and the Spirit. He has freed us from the curse of the Law by His Blood, and He has made us heirs of His Kingdom. If we live, we shall live for the Lord. If we die, we shall die in the Lord and inherit eternal life.â€ by the saint’s words, the captives resolved to die of starvation, rather than renounce Christ, Who is the food and drink of Eternal Life. Exhausted by hunger and thirst, some captives perished after three days, some after four days, and some after seven days. Saint Eustratius remained alive for fourteen days, since he was accustomed to fasting from his youth. Suffering from hunger, he still did not touch food nor water. The impious Jew, seeing that he had lost the money he had paid for the captives, decided to take revenge on the holy monk. radiant Feast of the Resurrection of Christ drew near, and the Jewish slave owner was celebrating the Jewish Passover with his companions. He decided to crucify Saint Eustratius. The cruel tormentors mocked the saint, offering to let him share their Passover meal. The Martyr replied, "The Lord has now bestown a great grace upon me. He has permitted me to suffer on a cross for His Name just as He suffered." The saint also predicted a horrible death for the Jew. this, the enraged Jew grabbed a spear and stabbed Saint Eustratius on the cross. The martyr’s body was taken down from the cross and thrown into the sea. Christian believers long searched for the holy relics of the martyr, but were not able to find them. But through the Providence of God the incorrupt relics were found in a cave and worked many miracles. Later, they were transferred to the Near Caves of the Kiev Caves monastery. prediction of the holy Martyr Eustratius that his blood would be avenged was fulfilled soon after his death. The Byzantine Emperor issued a decree expelling all Jews from Korsun, depriving them of their property, and putting their elders to death for torturing Christians. The Jew who crucified Saint Eustratius was hanged on a tree, receiving just punishment for his wickedness. Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson;

Constantinople, 1100-1199, Folder, 12th Century, Allied with Holy Roman Empire

Constantinople, 1101, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, transferred, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing by faith
Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted by Luke; Monastery, which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century[1] by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. Kykkos Monastery, Exterior View to tradition, that was written by the Russian pilgrim, Vasil Grigorovich-Barsky, who travelled to Kykkos Monastery in 1735,[4] a virtuous hermit called Esaias was living in a cave on the mountain of Kykkos. day, the Byzantine governor of the island, doux Manuel Boutoumites, who was spending the summer at a village of Marathasa because of the heat of the season, went into the forest to hunt. Having lost his way in the forest he met Monk Esaias and asked him to show him the way. The hermit who was not interested in the things of this world would not answer his questions. got angry at the monk's indifference and called him names and even maltreated him. Not long after, when the doux returned to Nicosia, he fell ill with an incurable illness by the name of lethargia. In his terrible condition he remembered how inhumanly he had treated the hermit Esaias and asked God to cure him so that he might go to ask the hermit personally for forgiveness. And this came to pass. But God had appeared in front of the hermit and revealed to him that the very thing that had happened had been planned by the divine will and advised him to ask Boutoumites to bring the icon of the Virgin, that had been painted by the Apostle Luke, to Cyprus. icon was kept in the imperial palace at Constantinople. When Boutoumites heard the hermit's wish he was taken aback because he considered such a thing impossible. Then Esaias explained to him that it was a matter of divine wish and they agreed to travel together to Constantinople for the realization of their aim. was passing and Boutoumites could not find the right opportunity to present himself in front of the emperor and ask for the icon. For this reason he provided Esaias with other icons and other necessary things and sent him back to Cyprus, at the same time placating him that he would soon see the emperor. divine dispensation the daughter of the emperor had fallen ill with the same illness that had struck Boutoumites. The latter grasped the opportunity and went to see the Emperor Alexios III Angelos. He recounted to him his personal experience with the monk Esaias and assured him that his daughter would be cured if he sent to Cyprus the holy icon of the Virgin. his desperation the emperor, seeing that he had no other option, agreed. His daughter became well instantly. The emperor, however, not wanting to be parted from the icon of the Virgin, called a first-class painter and ordered him to paint an exact copy of the icon with the aim of sending this one to Cyprus. the evening the Mother of God herself appears in a dream of the emperor's and tells him that her wish is for her icon to be sent to Cyprus and for the copy to be kept by the emperor. the following day the royal boat with the icon of the Virgin departed for Cyprus where Esaias was awaiting for it. the procession of the icon from the coast to the Troödos Mountains, according to legend, the trees, participating in the welcoming ceremonies, were piously bending their trunks and branches. patronage provided by the emperor Alexios Komnenos a church and monastery were built at Kykkos, where the icon of the Virgin was deposited. According to another tradition, still preserved by the people, a bird with human voice was flying around the area singing: Kykkou, Kykkou, Kykkos' hill A monastery the site shall fill A golden girl shall enter in And never shall come out again "golden girl" is, without a doubt, the icon of the Virgin while the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of Kykkos which has been sheltering the icon for over nine hundred years. icon of Virgin Mary the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon.[5][6] The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in eastern Orthodoxy.[7] The icon is never looked at, and its top half remains hidden behind a protective covering as it is said that whoever looks at it will be blinded. The last person to have seen the icon is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos, in 1669. icon is rarely uncovered, although this happens on occasion. In recent years there had been a drought affecting Cyprus, in response to which the fathers took the icon to her throne, and read special supplications for rain, whilst looking away from the uncovered icon.[8] relics are placed to the right of the icon a bronze arm, and a sword fish saw. Regarding the arm, this serves as a reminder the story of a Turk who tried to light a cigarette using one of the vigil lamps and he was cursed and suffered a gangrenous arm. The saw from the sword fish represents the gratefulness of sailors who prayed to Our Lady of Kykkos to save them from the storms of the sea.[9] Kykkou monastery maintains separate grounds Engomi, Nicosia called Metochi tou Kykkou (Μετόχι του Κύκκου). The land on which it lies was acquired over the years by the monastery through bequests. With the city's rapid expansion, the area which once used to be in the outskirts has now become prime property. Despite this, much of it is still used for agricultural purposes. Up until the construction of its purpose built premises, the Cyprus State Fair was held on these grounds. 1974, whilst Archbishop Makarios was under pursuit by the military junta, he headed for refuge here. As a result, the building was hit by tank fire and part of it collapsed.[10] Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Merciful€, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodegetria (Directress) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Constantinople, 1111-1134, John IX, Patriarch, Library, P over Monastics
Constantinople Patriarch, 1111-1134, John IX ; lifelong scholar, he sought to reclaim the great, but dispersed, collection of books within the capital, as there was no central library. He made it a practice to acquire the book collections of deceased powerful men, and then had the patriarchal staff recopy them. His measures greatly expanded the range of titles held in the Great Church to which teachers were attached. over Monastics religious matters, he pushed the trend of making the patriarchal clergy, rather than the monastic community, the authoritative voice of Orthodoxy.[4] also convened a synod in Constantinople in 1117 which condemned the doctrine of Eustratius of Nicaea as Nestorian, despite the defence offered by the Patriarch.[5] his patriarchate some efforts were made by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to bridge the schism between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church but these failed, as Pope Pascal II in late 1112 pressed the demand that the Patriarch of Constantinople recognise the Pope's primacy over "all the churches of God throughout the world". This was something the patriarch could not do in face of opposition from the majority of secular clergy, the monastic world, and the laity.[6] St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8;

Byzantium, 1118-1143, Emperor, John II Komnenos, Allied with HRE, Komnenian Restoration
Byzantine Emperor, 1118-1143, John II Komnenos; he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina and the second emperor to rule during the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire. John was a pious and dedicated monarch who was determined to undo the damage his empire had suffered following the Battle of Manzikert, half a century earlier. Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Byzantium, 1143-1180, Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos, last of Komnenian restoration
Byzantine Emperor, 1143-1180, Manuel I Komnenos; His reign saw the last flowering of the Komnenian restoration, during which the Byzantine Empire had seen a resurgence of its military and economic power, and had enjoyed a cultural revival. Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13;

Byzantium, 1180-1183, Emperor, Alexios II Komnenos, Maria's regency, married Anna, they were 11 and 10
Byzantine Emperor, 1180-1183, Alexios II Komnenos; of Maria and Alexios[edit] Manuel I died in 1180, Alexios II succeeded him as emperor. At this time, however, he was an uneducated, barely-teenaged boy with only amusements in mind. Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13;

Byzantium, 1183-1185, Emperor, Andronikos I Komnns, Licentious, m Anna at 65, killed Alexios, k Latins
Byzantine Emperor, 1183-1185, Andronikos I Komnenos; In 1183, sixty-five year old Andronikos married twelve-year-old Agnes of France,[1] daughter of King Louis VII of France and his third wife Adale of Champagne.” Agnes had been betrothed to Alexios II.[8] 1180 the Emperor Manuel died and was succeeded by his ten-year-old son Alexios II, who was under the guardianship of his mother, Empress Maria of Antioch.[1] Latin origins and culture led to creeping resentment from her Greek subjects. They had felt insulted by the Western tastes of Manuel, and being ruled by his Western wife built tensions to an explosion of rioting that almost became a full civil war.[citation needed] gave Andronikos the opportunity to seize the crown for himself, leaving his retirement in 1182 and marching to Constantinople with an army that (according to non-Byzantine sources) included Muslim contingents.[5] defection of the commander of the Byzantine navy, megas doux Andronikos Kontostephanos, and the general Andronikos Angelos, played a key role in allowing the rebellious forces to enter Constantinople.[6] arrival of Andronikos Komnenos was soon followed by a massacre of the city's Latin inhabitants,[1] who virtually controlled its economy, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Westerners. 1183, sixty-five year old Andronikos married twelve-year-old Agnes of France,[1] daughter of King Louis VII of France and his third wife Adale of Champagne.” Agnes had been betrothed to Alexios II.[8] Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22;

Byzantium, 1185-1204, Emperor, Isaac II Angelos, Komnemoi, Killed father, marrigs Serb, Ita, Hun
Byzantine Emperor, 1185-1204, Isaac II Angelos; Isaac II Angelos strengthened his position as emperor with dynastic marriages in 1185 and 1186. His niece Eudokia Angelina was married to Stefan, son of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia. Isaac's sister Theodora was married to the Italian marquis Conrad of Montferrat. In January 1186, Isaac himself married Margaret of Hungary (renamed Maria), daughter of King BÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â©la III.[3] Hungary was one of the Empire's largest and most powerful neighbours, and Margaret also had the benefit of high aristocratic descent, being related to the royal families of Kiev, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, Provence, and earlier Byzantine dynasties. Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, 1189-1236, St Sava 1, Enlightener, Prince, Orthodox monk, estab Hilandar, first Serb Archbishop, S constitution
Serbia, 1189-1236, St Sava 1, Panteleimon Monastery, Russian, Mt Athos, first archbishop, tonsured 1186, encouraged family to tonsure, estab Hilandar m, archmandrite of Thessalonica, then 1219 Archbishop of Serbia, MOG dream my patronage, why sorrowful, negotiated peace and conversion w Hungarian King, crowned b Stephen as Serbian King, then nephew Radislav, then Vladislav, died in Bulgaria, r transfered to S; Sava (1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat. born as Rastko Nemanjić, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja (founder of the Nemanjić dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Zachlumia briefly in 1190–92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, the Zakonopravilo nomocanon, thus securing full independence; both religious and political. is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[4][5][6][7][8] is widely considered one of the most important figures of Serbian history. In fact, Sava is to the Serbs what Averroes is to the Muslims and Maimonides is to the Jews. Sava is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. Many artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, built where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594,[9] during an uprising in which Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; the church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, in the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. From his early years he fervently attended church services and had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, secretly left his father’s house and set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod and wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) and sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, and this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. His mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. This was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. He made prostrations in all the churches and, calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage, why do you remain sorrowful?” These words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. In memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. During the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war on Serbia, the holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, but he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, and Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. To further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, he reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, and he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, consecrating him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, desiring “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” He passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, everywhere visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. The saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, where with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, there were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, bestowing healing on all who approached with faith. The inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, which Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. He is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. From this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. It in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, and since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. Such was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy.

Constantinople, 1200-1299, Folder, 13th Century, 4th Crusade sacks Constantinople

Constantinople, 1203-1204, Alexios IV Angelos, Prince, diverted the 4th Crusade to Constantinople so he could regain power
Byzantine Prince, 1203-1204, Alexios IV Angelos; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade
Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Constantinople, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople; Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Handsof our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185-“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081-“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. the term Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia or the Latinokratia (rule of the Latins) and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania (Land of the Romans) had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Byzantium, 1205-1215, Emperor, Michael I Doukas, rebelled, fled to Turks, Diverted 4th Crusade to C in 1210, assinated
Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (Greek: ÎœÎ¹Ï‡Î±Î®Î» ÎšÎ¿Î¼Î½Î·Î½ÏŒÏ‚ Î”Î¿ÏÎºÎ±Ï‚, romanized: MikhaÄ“l KomnÄ“nos Doukas), and in modern sources often recorded as Michael I Angelos, a name he never used,[1] was the founder and first ruler of the Despotate of Epirus from c. 1205 until his assassination in 1214/15. c. 1170, Michael was a descendant of Alexios I Komnenos and a cousin of emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. He began his public career in 1190, as a hostage to the Third Crusade, and went on to serve as governor of the province of Mylasa and Melanoudion in the 1190s and again in c. 1200/01. the latter tenure he rebelled against Alexios III but was defeated and forced to flee to the Seljuk Turks. the aftermath of the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, he attached himself to Boniface of Montferrat. Soon, however, he abandoned the Crusader leader and went to Epirus, where he established himself as ruler, apparently through marriage with the daughter or widow of a local magnate. domain in Epirus became a refuge and centre of resistance of the Greeks against the Latin Crusaders. At about the same time, according to some modern scholars, he may have led the abortive Greek resistance to the Crusaders in the Peloponnese, which was crushed at the Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras; according to other views, he may have led a campaign there between 1207 and 1209. order to avoid invasion and buy time to consolidate his position in Epirus, Michael soon entered into negotiations with Pope Innocent III, and concluded treaties with the Latin Empire and the Republic of Venice. the meantime, his rule received a boost in legitimacy when he ransomed the deposed Alexios III from captivity. According to later chroniclers, Alexios III conferred the hereditary rule of Epirus to Michael and his descendants. 1210, Michael was secure enough to launch an attack against the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica, in conjunction with the Bulgarians. Repelled by the intervention of the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders, Michael quickly switched sides and joined the Latins to prevent the city from falling into Bulgarian hands. In 1212, he conquered most of Thessaly from the Lombard lords of Thessalonica. At about the same time, his troops briefly took over the Lordship of Salona. He then went on to recover Dyrrhachium and the island of Corfu from the Venetians in 1213–1214, but was thwarted in his attempt to push further north into Zeta. He was assassinated soon after in his sleep, and was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas. Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Byzantium, 1215-1230, Emperor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas, Latin, Nicean, Epirus, Serbian, Theslnc Empires
Byzantine Emperor, 1215-1230, Theodore Komnenos Doukas; Komnenos Doukas (died c. 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most of Macedonia and western Thrace from 1224 to 1230. He was also the power behind the rule of his sons John and Demetrios over Thessalonica in 1237–1246. was the scion of a distinguished Byzantine aristocratic family related to the imperial Komnenos, Doukas, and Angelos dynasties. nothing is known about Theodore's life before the conquest of Constantinople and dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. the fall of Constantinople, he served Theodore I Laskaris, founder of the Empire of Nicaea, for a few years ----------------------------------before being called to Epirus, where his bastard half-brother Michael I Komnenos Doukas had founded an independent principality. Michael died in 1215, Theodore sidelined his brother's underage and illegitimate son Michael II and assumed the governance of the Epirote state. continued his brother's policy of territorial expansion. with Serbia, he expanded into Macedonia, threatening the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica. capture of the Latin Emperor Peter II of Courtenay in 1217 opened the way to the gradual envelopment of Thessalonica, culminating in the city's fall in 1224. ruler of Thessalonica, Theodore quickly declared himself emperor, challenging the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes's claims to the Byzantine imperial throne. 1225, he advanced to the outskirts of Constantinople, but his final attack against the seat of the much-reduced Latin Empire was delayed until 1230. that year, Theodore amassed an army to besiege Constantinople, but then diverted it against Bulgaria, an ambivalent ally which threatened his northern flank. was defeated and captured at the Battle of Klokotnitsa, and spent the next seven years in captivity. the meantime, he was succeeded by his brother Manuel. Manuel quickly lost Thrace, most of Macedonia, and Albania to the Bulgarian Emperor John Asen II. Thessalonica itself became a Bulgarian vassal, while in Epirus proper power was seized by Michael II, returning from exile. was released in 1237 when his daughter Irene married John Asen II, and quickly managed to regain control of Thessalonica, ousting Manuel. been blinded during his captivity and thus disqualified from occupying the throne again, he installed his eldest son John as emperor, but remained the de facto regent of the state. Manuel tried to regain Thessalonica with Nicaean support, but a negotiated settlement was reached which gave him Thessaly and left Thessalonica and its environs to Theodore and John. In 1241, John III Vatatzes invited Theodore to visit Nicaea. He was welcomed and treated with great honour, but was effectively detained there until the spring of next year, when Vatatzes marched on Thessalonica with Theodore in tow. Theodore was sent in to negotiate with his son and convince him to accept demotion to the rank of Despot and to recognize the suzerainty of Nicaea. died in 1244 and was succeeded by Theodore's younger son Demetrios. In 1246, Vatatzes overthrew the unpopular Demetrios and annexed Thessalonica. Theodore influenced his nephew Michael II to launch an attack on Thessalonica in 1251, but in 1252, Vatatzes campaigned against them and forced Michael to come to terms. Theodore was taken prisoner and sent into exile in Nicaea, where he died around 1253. St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilkgiver"Â, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Byzantium, 1259-1282, Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, Apostate, Nicea Empire, recovered empire, conflict w other B states
Byzantine Emperor, 1259-1282, Michael VIII Palaiologos, The Apostate; VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (1223 -“ 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261, and as Byzantine Emperor from 1261 until his death. VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. He recovered Constantinople from the Latin Empire in 1261 and transformed the Empire of Nicaea into a restored Byzantine Empire.[2] reign would see considerable recovery of Byzantine power, including the enlargement of the Byzantine army and navy. It would also include the reconstruction of the city of Constantinople, and the increase of its population.[3] reestablished the University of Constantinople, which would lead to what is regarded as the Palaiologan Renaissance between the 13th and 15th centuries.[3] would also be at this time that the focus of the Byzantine military shifted to the Balkans, against the Bulgarians, leaving the Anatolian frontier neglected.[3] successors could not compensate for this inadequacy, and both the Arsenite schism and two civil wars (cf. Byzantine civil war of 1321-“1328, Byzantine civil war of 1341-1347) would undermine further efforts toward territorial consolidation and recovery, draining the empire's strength, economy, and resources. conflict between Byzantine successor states such as the Empire of Thessalonica, Trebizond, Epirus and Serbia resulted in permanent fragmentation of former Byzantine territory and opportunity for increasingly successful conquests of expansive territories by post-Seljuk Anatolian beyliks, most notably that of Osman, later called the Ottoman Empire. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Constantinople, 1260-1263, Crusaders capture Constantinople, Right Hand of John
Byzantium, 1260-1263, Crusaders capture Constantinople, Right Hand of John; In the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. From the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France. ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7 ;

Constantinople, 1274, Union of Lyons convoked in 1272, convened 1274, peace among Christians, revoked
France, 1272, Union of Lyons 1272; The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.[1] Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West.[2] The council was attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots[3] and more than a thousand prelates or their procurators, among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given "leave to depart with the blessing of God" and of the Pope. Among others who attended the council were James I of Aragon, the ambassador of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route at Fossanova Abbey. Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions, but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at the First Council of Lyon, Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and a papal chaplain.[4] In addition to Aragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings of Germany, England, Scotland, France, the Spains and Sicily[5] were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Bohemia, the "realm of Dacia" and the duchy of Poland. In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time the nations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing of medieval universities. This innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the European nation-states. The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of the Holy Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decree Zelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of the Holy Land, the means for paying for a proposed crusade, the excommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of an indulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration of communion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of the Filioque (two words added to the Nicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated by Andronicus II,[2] heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognized Rudolf I as Holy Roman Emperor, ending the interregnum.[2] 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21;

Constantinople, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God
Jerusalem, 1277, Luke & Fathers of Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 3 trees of the Cross, Luke followed his mother to Jerusalem, became monk there, became abbot, monks ousted, Luke confronted, beheaded, then severed head turned East and thanked God ; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Fathers & Luke Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; holy martyr Luka of Jerusalem lived in the 13th century. He was born to an honorable, pious Georgian family by the name of Mukhaisdze. After the repose of Luka’s father, his mother left her children and went to labor at a monastery in Jerusalem. Luka reached the age of twenty, he traveled to Jerusalem to visit his mother and venerate the holy places. After spending some time there he decided to remain and be tonsured a monk. was later ordained a deacon and became fluent in Arabic. Soon the brothers of the monastery recognized his wisdom and asked him to guide them as abbot. For three years Luka directed the monastery in an exemplary manner. the devil was envious of the holy father and provoked a certain Shekh-Khidar, an influential Persian at the court of Sultan Penducht, (Probably Sultan Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar of Egypt (1260-1277)) to take up arms against Saint Luka. Penducht then transferred possession of theHoly CrossMonastery to Shekh-Khidar, who “treated the Georgian monks in a beastly manner and finally ousted them from the monastery altogether.” his God-given duty, the blessed Luka insisted on personally confronting Shekh-Khidar in defense of his brotherhood. ’s Christian brothers and sisters warned him, saying, “Shekh-Khidar is threatening you.... Flee and hide fromhim!” But Luka paid no heed to their admonitions, certain that it was more fitting to die for Christ than to live for the world. As he had insisted, he himself approached and asked for the release of the imprisoned fathers. told him that he was prepared to accept any demands. The wicked Persian leader demanded nothing from Luka except that he convert to Islam, promising to make him emir if he consented. When he refused, the furious Shekh-Khidar ordered Saint Luka’s beheading. the terrible deed had been performed, Saint Luka’s severed head turned toward the east and gave thanks to God with an expression of pure peace. Soon after, his precious body was set on fire at the command of the bewildered Shekh-Khidar. This occurred in 1277. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; story as above

Byzantium, 1282-1328, Emperor, Andronicus II P, Orthodox, B decline of BE, Turks in EPH, Civil War
Byzantine Emperor 1282-1328, Andronicus II Paleologos ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Nicephorus of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on May 4; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century;

Constantinople, 1284, Zographou Monestary, Crusaders, 26 Martyrs
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Akathist, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Constantinople, 1289-1330, Athanasius I, opposed R Catholic re-union, elevated Peter of Moscow, strict conviction, Jesus
Constantinople, 1250-1330, Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople ; I (1230 -“ 28 October 1310) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two terms, from 1289 to 1293 and 1303 to 1309. He was born in Adrianople and died in Constantinople. by the emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus as patriarch, he opposed the reunion of the Greek and Roman Churches and introduced an ecclesiastic reform that evoked opposition within the clergy. He resigned in 1293 and was restored in 1303 with popular support. The pro-Union clerical faction forced him into retirement in early 1310. He is commemorated as a saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day observed annually on 28 October.[1] St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 24 ; Athanasius I, Patriarch of Constantinople (1289-1293; 1303-1311), in the world Alexius, was from Adrianopolis. still in his youth, thriving upon the knowledge of the wisdom of Christ, he left his home and went to Thessalonica, where he was tonsured in one of the monasteries with the name Acacius. soon withdrew to Mount Athos and joined the brotherhood of the Esphigmenou monastery, where for three years he served in the trapeza. his works and his ascetic deeds he acquired the gift of tears, and by his virtuous acts he won the overall goodwill of the brethren. praise, Acacius humbly left Mt. Athos at first for the holy places in Jerusalem, and then to Mount Patra, where for a long time he lived ascetically as an hermit. there the ascetic transferred to the Auxention monastery, then to Mount Galanteia to the monastery of Blessed Lazarus, where he accepted the great angelic schema with the name Athanasius, was ordained a priest and became ecclesiarch (monk in charge of the sacred relics and vessels in the church). the saint was granted a divine revelation: he heard the Voice of the Lord from a crucifix, summoning him to pastoral service. to strengthen his spirit still more in silence and prayer, Saint Athanasius again settled on Mount Athos after ten years. But because of disorders arising there he returned to Mount Galanteia. Here also he was not long to remain in solitude. Many people thronged to him for pastoral guidance, and so he organized a women’s monastery there. this time the throne of the Church of Constantinople fell vacant after the disturbances and disorder of the period of the Patriarch John Bekkos. the suggestion of the pious emperor Andronicus Paleologos, a council of hierarchs and clergy unanimously chose Saint Athanasius to the Patriarchal throne of the Church in 1289. Athanasius began fervently to fulfill his new obedience and did much for strengthening the Church. strictness of conviction roused the dissatisfaction of influential clergy, and in 1293 he was compelled to resign the throne and to retire again to his own monastery, where he lived an ascetic life in solitude. 1303 he was again entrusted with the staff of patriarchal service, which he worthily fulfilled for another seven years. 1308 Saint Athanasius established Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (December 21). because of some sort of dissatisfaction, and not wanting to be the cause of church discord, Saint Athanasius resigned the governance of the Church in 1311. He departed to his own monastery, devoting himself fully to monastic deeds. the end of his life, the saint was again found worthy to behold Christ. The Lord reproached him because Athanasius had not carried out his pastoral duty to the end. Weeping, the saint repented of his cowardice and received from the Lord both forgiveness and the gift of wonderworking. Saint Athanasius died at the age of 100. Greek usage, Saint Athanasios is commemorated on October 28. Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Constantinople, 1300-1399, Folder, 14th Century, Hesychasts, Black Death, Turks

Constantinople, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Hesychast, won the debate w Barlaam, uncreated energies
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Macedonia; Palamas (c. 1296 – 1357 or 1359)[1] was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric of the late Byzantine period. monk of Mount Athos (modern Greece) and later archbishop of Thessaloniki, he is famous for his defense of hesychast spirituality, the uncreated character of the light of the Transfiguration, and the distinction between God's essence and energies (i.e., the divine will, divine grace, etc.). teaching unfolded over the course of three major controversies, (1) with the Italo-Greek Barlaam between 1336 and 1341, (2) with the monk Gregory Akindynos between 1341 and 1347, and (3) with the philosopher Gregoras, from 1348 to 1355. theological contributions are sometimes referred to as Palamism, and his followers as Palamites. has been venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church since 1368. Within the Catholic Church, he was also been called a saint, and repeatedly cited as a great theological writer, by Pope John Paul II.[2] Since 1971, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has venerated Gregory as a saint.[3][4] Some of his writings are collected in the Philokalia, and since the Ottoman period, the second Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to the memory Gregory Palamas in the Orthodox Church. The Byzantine Synodikon of Orthodoxy also celebrates his memory and theology while condemning his opponents, including some anti-Palamites who flourished after Gregory's death. Thessalonica; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). There he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. Gregory’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Nikodemos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). Here he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. But after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the y, ear 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. Five days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. Soon he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). He ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. But seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. To these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. The saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. In 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. Even in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. Some of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. On the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Saint Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Byzantium, 1328-1341, Emperor, Andronikos III Palaiologos, Barlaamite (Anti-Hesychast)
Byzantine Emperor 1328-1341, Andronikos III Palaiologos; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14;

Constantinople, 1341-1347, Patriarch, John XIV Kalekos, anti-hesychast, with John V's mother in Civil War
Constantinople, 1341-1347, Patriarch, John XIV Kalekos ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Byzantium, 1341-1391, Emperor, John V Paleologos. Civil War, Black Death, Civil War, Serbs, Turks
Byzantine Emperor 1341-1391, John Paleologos ; V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Ίωάννης Παλαιολόγος, Iōánnēs Palaiológos; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391. V was the son of Emperor Andronikos III and his wife Anna,[3] the daughter of Count Amadeus V of Savoy by his wife Maria of Brabant. His long reign was marked by the gradual dissolution of imperial power amid numerous civil wars and the continuing ascendancy of the Ottoman Turks. rule and first civil war[edit] V came to the throne at age eight. His reign began with an immediate civil war between his designated regent, his father's friend John VI Kantakouzenos, and a self-proclaimed council of regency composed of his mother Anna, the patriarch John XIV Kalekas, and the megas doux Alexios Apokaukos. During this civil war in 1343 Anna pawned the Byzantine crown jewels for 30,000 Venetian ducats. From 1346 to 1349, the Black Death devastated Constantinople. civil war[edit] in 1347, John VI Kantakouzenos ruled as co-emperor until his son Matthew Kantakouzenos was attacked by John V in 1352, leading to a second civil war. John V asked the ruler of Serbia, Stefan Dusan for help, and Dusan obliged by sending 4,000 Serbian horsemen to his aid. Matthew Kantakouzenos asked his father for help, and 10,000 Ottoman Turks showed up at Demotika (Didymoteicho) in October 1352 and engaged the forces of John V's Serbian allies in an open field battle that resulted in the destruction of the allies and a victory for the more numerous Turks in the service of the Byzantines. The Ottoman Empire thus acquired its first European territory, at Cimpe and Gallipoli. Able to retake Constantinople in 1354, John V removed and tonsured John VI Kantakouzenos; by 1357, he had deposed Matthew as well, who had been captured by the Serbs and was ransomed to John V. and defeats[edit] 1366, John V reached the Hungarian Kingdom, arriving at the Royal city of Buda to meet King Louis I of Hungary. However, the Byzantine emperor offended the king by staying on his horse, while Louis descended and approached him on foot. The Hungarian monarch then offered him help on the condition that John join the Catholic church, or at least achieve recognition by the Patriarch of the Pope's supremacy. The Emperor left the court of Buda with empty hands and continued his trip through Europe searching for assistance against the Ottomans.[4] Ottomans, who had been allied with the Kantakouzenoi, continued to press John. Suleyman Pasa, the son of the Ottoman sultan, led their forces in Europe and was able to take Adrianople and Philippopolis and to exact tribute from the emperor. John V appealed to the West for help, proposing to Pope Urban V in 1367 to end the schism between the Byzantine and Latin churches by submitting the patriarchate to the supremacy of Rome. October 1369 John, having travelled through Naples to Rome, formally converted to Catholicism in St Peter's Basilica and recognized the pope as supreme head of the Church. He was not accompanied by the clergy of the Byzantine Church and the move failed to bring about an end to the Schism.[5] by war, he was detained as a debtor when he visited Venice in 1369 on his way back from Rome and was later captured on his way back through Bulgarian territories. In 1371, he recognized the suzerainty of the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Murad later assisted him against his son Andronikos when the latter deposed him in 1376. and second rule[edit] 1390, his grandson John VII briefly usurped the throne, but was quickly overthrown. The same year, John V ordered the strengthening of the Golden Gate in Constantinople, utilizing marble from the decayed churches in and around the city. Upon completion of this construction, Bayezid I demanded that John raze these new works, threatening war and the blinding of his son Manuel, whom he held in captivity. John V filled the Sultan's order but is said to have suffered from this humiliation and died soon thereafter on 16 February 1391. V was finally succeeded to the imperial throne by his son Manuel. His younger son Theodore had already acceded to the Despotate of Morea in 1383. V married Helena Kantakouzene, daughter of his co-emperor John VI Kantakouzenos and Irene Asanina, on 28 May 1347. They had at least six children -- four sons and at least two daughters.[6] Their known children include: Andronikos IV Palaiologos (2 April 1348 – 28 June 1385); Irene Palaiologina (c. 1349 – after 1362), who married her first cousin Prince Halil of Ottoman Empire, son of Orhan I and Helena's sister Theodora Kantakouzene. The couple had two sons, Princes Gunduz and Omer. Manuel II Palaiologos (27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425); Theodore I Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (c. 1355 – 24 June 1407); Michael Palaiologos (d. 1376/1377), who claimed the throne of the Empire of Trebizond from Alexios III; Maria Palaiologina (d. 1376), who was betrothed to Murad I but died before the marriage could take place; One daughter betrothed to Peter II of Cyprus, who may not be Irene or Maria; Two unnamed daughters reported to have entered a monastery in 1373, who may be different women from the ones listed above. Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20;

Constantinople, 1347, Black Death Plague hits Constantinople, began 1332-21 years
Byzantium, 1347, Black Death Plague hits Constantinople, began 1332 and lasted 21 years;

Constantinople, 1347-1350, Patriarch, Isadore, Hesychast, Palamite, restored Gregory Palamas
Constantinople, 1347-1350, Patriarch, Isadore, restored Gregory Palamas; Byzantine Emperor 1347-1354, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Byzantium, 1347-1354, Co-Emperor, general, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos, regent deposed by his ward, historian
Byzantine Emperor 1347-1354, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos ; VI Kantakouzenos, Cantacuzenus, or Cantacuzene[1] (c. 1292 - 15 June 1383[4]) was a Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byzantine emperor in his own right from 1347 to 1354. Deposed by his former ward, he was made to retire to a monastery under the name Joasaph Christodoulos and spent the remainder of his life as a monk and historian. At age 90 or 91 at his death, he was the most aged of the Roman emperors. life[edit] in Constantinople,[3] John Kantakouzenos was the son of Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea; Donald Nicol speculates that he may have been born after his father's death and raised as an only child.[5] Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was related to the then-reigning house of Palaiologos.[6] He was also related to the imperial dynasty through his wife Irene Asanina, a second cousin of Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.[7] Kantakouzenos became a close friend to Andronikos III and was one of his principal supporters in Andronikos's struggle against his grandfather, Andronikos II Palaiologos. On the accession of Andronikos III in 1328, he was entrusted with the supreme administration of affairs and served as grand domestic throughout his reign. He was named regent to Andronikos's successor, the 9-year-old John V, upon the emperor's death in June 1341.[3] apparently began with no imperial ambitions of his own, having refused several times to be crowned co-emperor by Andronikos III. After the death of the emperor, Kantakouzenos again refused to take the throne, insisting on the legitimacy of John V's claim and contenting himself with overseeing the empire's administration until the boy came of age: according to the history written by John VI himself. Whether he would have remained loyal is unknowable but, despite his professed devotion to John V and his mother Anna, she came to suspect him of treason.[3] His close friendship with the late emperor and power over his successor had aroused the jealousy of his former protégés, Patriarch John XIV of Constantinople and Alexios Apokaukos;[citation needed] after a series of failed attempts, they succeeded in overthrowing his regency in September 1341 while he was out of the capital readying an army against the Crusader principalities that still held parts of the Peloponnesus. He attempted to negotiate with the usurpers, but this was rebuffed and his army was ordered to disband. Further, his relatives in Constantinople were driven into exile or imprisoned, with their property confiscated by the new regents. His mother Theodora died owing to the mistreatment she suffered while under house arrest.[8]} His army ignored the new regents' orders and proclaimed Kantakouzenos emperor at Didymoteichon in Thrace as John VI.[9] He accepted this, while continuing to style himself as the junior ruler to John V. War[edit] article: Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 ensuing civil war lasted six years; calling in foreign allies and mercenaries of every description, the two sides completely disrupted and almost ruined the empire.[3] At first, John VI marched to Thessalonica, which the ruling families planned to hand over to him. Apokaukos anticipated this move and sent a fleet to reinforce the city, obliging John to flee to Serbia, where Stefan Dusan sheltered him and lent him military support. This proved largely ineffectual, and only the intervention of John's old friend and ally Umur of Aydin broke the regency's siege of his headquarters at Didymoteichon. another attempt on Thessalonica the following year, the Serbians switched sides to support the regency, leaving John stranded once more before that city. Yet again, Umur came to his rescue, and their combined forces broke out of Macedonia to return to Didymoteichon. The war dragged on another four years as neither side could dislodge the other, although time was on John VI's side. He struck a bargain with the Ottoman Turks, giving Orhan Bey his daughter, Theodora, for his harem and permitting him to take Greek Christians as slaves. The Greco-Turkish force prevailed and John VI entered Constantinople in triumph on 8 February 1347.[10][9][a] Empress Anna and John VI agreed that the latter would rule as senior emperor for ten years, after which John V would reach seniority and share power as an equal to Kantakouzenos. The formal coronation of John VI took place on 21 May.[10][11] VI as emperor (left) and monk (right) John's reign, the empire—already fragmented, impoverished, and weakened—continued to be assailed on every side.[3] Genoese, disregarding the terms of the treaty which permitted their colony at Galata, began fortifying and arming it. Their customs dues undercut the Byzantines and meant that as much as 87% of the revenue from control of the Bosphorus went to them instead of the empire. John VI attempted to rebuild the shattered Byzantine navy in preparation for the war he expected to follow a reduction of Constantinople's own customs dues. He was able to borrow enough to construct 9 fair-sized ships and about 100 smaller ones before he lowered the rates and began siphoning off Genoa's income. When they did declare war, however, they were able to sink or capture his fleet by early 1349. The Genovese were forced to negotiate after major areas of Galata were burnt, including its wharves and warehouses, but the Byzantine Empire thenceforth was forced to turn to an alliance with the Republic of Venice for naval protection. This led to their involvement in Venice's 1350 war against Genoa, but Paganino Doria was able to force John VI (and the twelve ships he had fielded) out of the war by a Pyrrhic victory off Constantinople the next year.[citation needed] 1351, Kantakouzenos oversaw the Fifth Council of Constantinople, wherein Gregory Palamas' mystical hesychastic theology was declared Orthodox over the objections of Barlaam of Calabria and other Byzantine philosophers.[12] this time, Stefan Dusan had taken Albania, Macedonia, and Epirus. John VI secured help against further incursions by again allying with the Turks. Following an earthquake, they annexed Callipolis (Gallipoli)—their first foothold in Europe—in partial payment of his many debts in 1354.[3] made his son Matthew Kantakouzenos another co-emperor in 1353,[13] but John VI's attempts to expand taxation to repay the government's debts had long been displeasing. He was removed from power by John V at the end of 1354.[3][b] retired to a monastery, where he assumed the name of Joasaph Christodoulos and occupied himself with literary labors, which have been called eloquent.[3] His 4-volume History of the years 1320-1356 served as an apologia for his actions. They are therefore not always trustworthy, including defects in matters where he was not personally involved, but are supplemented by the contemporary work of Nicephorus Gregoras.[9] It is nevertheless remarkable for being the only surviving account any Byzantine emperor gave of his own reign. 1367 Joasaph was appointed the representative of the Eastern Orthodox Church to negotiate with the Latin Patriarch Paul to attempt a reconciliation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. They agreed to call a grand ecumenical council to be attended by the pope and all the patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops of both the eastern and western churches.[17] This plan was subsequently refused by Pope Urban V and eventually nothing came of it.[citation needed] died in the Peloponnese and was buried by his sons at Mistra in Laconia.[3] his wife Irene Asanina, a daughter of Andronikos Asan (son of Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria by Irene Palaiologina, Empress of Bulgaria, herself daughter of Michael VIII Palaiologos), John VI Kantakouzenos had several children, including: Matthew Kantakouzenos, co-emperor 1353–1357, later Despot of the Morea Manuel Kantakouzenos, Despot of the Morea Andronikos Kantakouzenos (died of the Bubonic Plague (specifically the Black Death) in 1347) Maria Kantakouzene, who married Nikephoros II Orsini of Epirus Theodora Kantakouzene, who married Sultan Orhan of the Ottoman Empire[18] Helena Kantakouzene, who married John V Palaiologos Kantakouzenos's 4-volume History was published by J. Pontanus in 1603, by Ludwig Schopen at Bonn as part of the Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae c. 1830; and by J.-P. Migne at Paris.[19] He also wrote a commentary on the first five books of Aristotle's Ethics and several controversial theological treatises, including a defense of Hesychasm and a work Against Mohammedanism printed in Migne.[20][9] Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14;

Constantinople, 1350-1353, 1355-63, Patriarch, Callistus, Hesychast, PHILOKALIA
Constantinople, 1350-1353, 1355-63, Patriarch, Callistus, Hesychast, ; Byzantine Emperor 1347-1354, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos ; Saint Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; Callistus I, Patriarch of Constantinople, at first struggled on Athos under the spiritual guidance of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), whose Life he wrote. In 1350, he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople, serving in that position during the reign of the emperors John Kantakuzenos (1341-1355) and John Paleologos (1341-1376). 1354, he withdrew to live in silence at the monastery he had built in honor of Saint Mamas at Tenedos. Later, he was elevated to the Patriarchal throne once again (1355-1363). The holy Patriarch Callistus reposed in the year 1363 in Serbia, where he had travelled with an embassy of Emperor John Paleologos. Saint Callistus is also known as a spiritual writer, and his edifying works appear in the PHILOKALIA with the writings of his close friend Ignatius of Xanthopoulos.

Constantinople, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon
Greece, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; Gennadius was the steward of the Vatopedi monastery on Mt Athos in the fourteenth century, and was in charge of supplies. the monastery’s oil began to run low, he tried to be economical with what remained by using oil just for the needs of the church. The cook began to complain to the Igumen, saying that he had no oil for preparing meals. The Igumen ordered Saint Gennadius to place his trust in the Mother of God, and to supply the oil for all the monastery’s needs. day, Saint Gennadius went to the storeroom and saw the tank overflowing with oil covering the floor as far as the door. This miracle was ascribed to the Most Holy Theotokos, and to Her Elaiovrytissa icon which stood nearby. Since that time, the icon has hung in the storeroom and has emitted an ineffable fragrance. Elaiovrytissa (“Flowing with oil”) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on Bright Friday.

Constantinople, 1354-55, 1364-76, Patriarch, Philotheus I of Constantinople, Liturgical and Hesychast writer
Constantinople Patriarch, 1354-55, 1364-76, Philotheus I of Constantinople; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; Philotheus was a native of Thessalonica, and received the monastic tonsure at an early age. After living for a time at Mt Sinai, he went to Mt Athos and became the igumen of the Great Lavra. 1347 he became Metropolitan of Heraclea, Thrace. Later, he served as Patriarch of Constantinople from 1354-1355, and again from 1364-1376. living on the Holy Mountain and even after he left there, Saint Philotheus wrote religious books which reveal his great learning and spirituality. Many of his works are directed against the anti-hesychasts, and he also wrote on liturgical and hagiographical themes. Philotheus ordained that Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) be commemorated on the second Sunday of Great Lent, presided at his glorification as a saint, and even composed the Service in his honor. Philotheus fell asleep in the Lord in 1379. St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25;

Byzantium, 1354-1391, Emperor, John V Palaiologos. Civil War, Black Death, Civil War, Serbs, Turks
Byzantine Emperor 1354-1391, John V Palaiologos; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 1360, Saint Markella, Ephesus, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella, spring of holy water
Ephesus, 1360, Saint Markella, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Markella (also Marcella) was an inhabitant of fourteenth-century Chios who was canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church. Her feast day is celebrated on July 22. Markella rocks today, Chios. Markella was born and lived in Volissos, Chios, Greece. She was raised as a devout Christian by her mother. However, her father (in some accounts) was a pagan. lived during the fourteenth century - during most of which Chios was under Genoese rule. At a young age, her mother died and Markella continued to study her Bible, pray to God and live a life according to what she was taught. the time of her eighteenth birthday, the virtuous Markella had to flee the fury of her violent father. There are variant accounts given about the reasons for that. In one version, while Markella's late mother had been a Christian, her father was an idolater and he tried very hard to force his daughter to become an idolater, too; this seems anachronistic, since by the 14th Century paganism was long since extinct in Greece. By another version, the problem was that Markella's father was consumed with incestuous lust for her, and she fled in horror when he declared his intentions.[1] her reason for being afraid of her father, Saint Markella fled to nearby mountains and hid in a bush. Her father found her with the help of a local herdsmen, and they set fire to the bush to force her to show. ran to the sea to escape but her father aimed an arrow at her and wounded her. As believed by the local people, the blood of the saint dyed the rocks and to this very day, during the festivities for her feast day, at a specific time, her blood becomes visible on these rocks for all the faithful who bear witness to this miracle. is further believed that as she was injured, she prayed to Jesus - her final moments spent in prayer requesting that the rocks would open for her to hide from her father and this happened. However, the opened rock enabled her to hide all of her body inside, but not her head. Her father decapitated her and threw the head into the sea. Her head floated to the nearby beach of Komi. many years, the locals could not locate the head until one day an Italian (presumably Genoese) warship was in the area. In the evening, the Italians could see a bright light coming from the distance and when they got closer they witnessed a head, floating in the water, lit by upright floating candles. Immediately, they realized that this was a sacred miracle they were witness to and they took the head of the Saint back to their homeland. tradition also has it that holy water springs from the rocks that mark her martyrdom. Many pilgrims visit this location and every year on 22 July, during the commemoration services for the Saint, the holy sea water in the rock pool boils during the entire Paraklisis Service; this phenomenon only occurs in the presence of a priest. If a pilgrim's faith is strong, a local tradition is that the water in the rock-pool will feel extremely warm to touch. significance[edit] Today there is a church on the cave of Saint Markella. The rock in which she was killed is said to spring holy water. Her nameday is on July 22 [2] and on that day the sea is said to boil. The icon of Saint Markella is one of the most revered and is said to be miraculous. Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Constantinople, 1362-1389, Murad I, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Kosovo Field Battle, Turks
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1362-1389, Murad I; I (29 June 1326 - 15 June 1389) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1362 to 1389. He was a son of Orhan Gazi and Nilufer Hatun. Murad I came into the throne after his elder brother Suleyman Pasha's death. I conquered Adrianople, renamed it to Edirne,[2] and in 1363 made it the new capital of the Ottoman Sultanate.[3] Then he further expanded the Ottoman realm in Southern Europe by bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule, and forced the princes of Serbia and Bulgaria as well as the East Roman emperor John V Palaiologos to pay him tribute.[2] Murad I administratively divided his sultanate into the two provinces of Anatolia (Asia Minor) and Rumelia (the Balkans). to the Ottoman sources, Murad I's titles includes Bey, Emir - a zam (Great Emir), Ghazi, Hudavendigar, Khan, Padishah, Sultan-selatin (Sultan of sultans), Melikul-muluk (Malik of maliks), while in Bulgarian and Serbian sources he was referred to as Tsar. In a Genoese document, he was referred to as dominus armiratorum Turchie (Master lord of Turks).[4] I was illiterate and could not even sign his own name. In 1353, Murad I signed a treaty by dipping his hand in ink and impressing it with his finger marks.[5] of the conquests of Murad I century miniature depicting Murad I fought against the powerful beylik of Karaman in Anatolia and against the Serbs, Albanians, Bulgarians and Hungarians in Europe. In particular, a Serb expedition to expel the Turks from Adrianople led by the Serbian brothers King Vukasin and Despot Ugljesia, was defeated on September 26, 1371, by Murad's capable second lieutenant Lala Sahin Pasa, the first governor (beylerbey) of Rumeli. In 1385, Sofia fell to the Ottomans. In 1386 Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic defeated an Ottoman force at the Battle of Plocnik. The Ottoman army suffered heavy casualties, and was unable to capture Nis on the way back. of Kosovo[edit] of Sultan Murad on Kosovo field of Sultan Murad 1389, Murad's army defeated the Serbian Army and its allies under the leadership of Lazar at the Battle of Kosovo. There are different accounts from different sources about when and how Murad I was assassinated. The contemporary sources mainly noted that the battle took place and that both Prince Lazar and the Sultan lost their lives in the battle. The existing evidence of the additional stories and speculations as to how Murad I died were disseminated and recorded in the 15th century and later, decades after the actual event. One Western source states that during first hours of the battle, Murad I was assassinated by Serbian nobleman and knight MiloÅ¡ ObiliÄ‡ by knife.[6][7] Most Ottoman chroniclers[citation needed] (including Dimitrie Cantemir)[8] state that he was assassinated after the finish of the battle while going around the battlefield. His older son Bayezid, who was in charge of the left wing of the Ottoman forces, took charge after that. His other son, Yakub Bey, who was in charge of the other wing, was called to the Sultan's command center tent by Bayezid, but when Yakub Bey arrived he was strangled, leaving Bayezid as the sole claimant to the throne. a letter from the Florentine senate (written by Coluccio Salutati) to the King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, dated 20 October 1389, Murad I's (and Jakub Bey's) killing was described. A party of twelve Serbian lords slashed their way through the Ottoman lines defending Murad I. One of them, allegedly Milos Obilic, had managed to get through to the Sultan's tent and kill him with sword stabs to the throat and belly.[9][page needed] Murad's internal organs were buried in Kosovo field and remains to this day on a corner of the battlefield in a location called Meshed-i Hudavendigar which has gained a religious significance by the local Muslims. It has been vandalized between 1999–2006 and renovated recently. His other remains were carried to Bursa, his Anatolian capital city, and were buried in a tomb at the complex built in his name.[10] of sultanate[edit] established the sultanate by building up a society and government in the newly conquered city of Adrianople (Edirne in Turkish) and by expanding the realm in Europe, bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule and forcing the Byzantine emperor to pay him tribute. It was Murad who established the former Osmanli tribe into an sultanate. He established the title of sultan in 1363 and the corps of the janissaries and the devÅŸirme recruiting system. He also organised the government of the Divan, the system of timars and timar-holders (timariots) and the military judge, the kazasker. He also established the two provinces of Anadolu (Anatolia) and Rumeli (Europe). was the son of Orhan and the Valide Hatun Nilüfer Hatun, daughter of the Lord of Yarhisar, who was of ethnic Greek descent.[11] St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Constantinople, 1380-1388, Patriarch, Nilus, Hesychast, chose H Cyprian for Moscow M
Constantinople, 1380-1388, Patriarch, Nilus of Constantinople, Hesychast Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28;

Constantinople, 1389-1403, Bayezid I, Ottoman Empire Sultan
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1389-1403, Bayezid I; I (c. 1360 - 8 March 1403)[2] was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I[3][4] and Gulcicek Hatun. built one of the largest armies in the known world at the time and unsuccessfully besieged Constantinople. He adopted the title of Sultan-Rum being an old Islamic name for the Roman Empire.[5] decisively defeated the Crusaders at Nicopolis (in modern Bulgaria) in 1396, and was himself defeated and captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and died in captivity in March 1403, triggering the Ottoman Interregnum.

Byzantium, 1391-1425, Emperor, Manuel II Palaiologos, help from R of Venice, later England and Europe, letters
Byzantine Emperor, 1391-1425, Manuel II Palaiologos; II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (27 June 1350 - 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the name Matthew. His wife Helena Dragas saw to it that their sons, John VIII Palaiologos and Constantine XI Palaiologos, become emperors. II retook Thessaloniki and the coastline of Thrace. Manuel was also commemorated[by whom?] on July 21.[1] double-headed eagle with the Palaiologos family cypher. II Palaiologos was the second son of Emperor John V Palaiologos and his wife Helena Kantakouzene.[2] Granted the title of despotēs by his father, the future Manuel II traveled west to seek support for the Byzantine Empire in 1365 and in 1370, serving as governor in Thessalonica from 1369. failed attempt at usurpation by his older brother Andronikos IV Palaiologos in 1373 led to Manuel's being proclaimed heir and co-emperor of his father. In 1376–1379 and again in 1390, they were supplanted by Andronikos IV and then his son John VII, but Manuel personally defeated his nephew with help from the Republic of Venice in 1390. Although John V had been restored, Manuel was forced to go as an honorary hostage to the court of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I at Prousa (Bursa). During his stay, Manuel was forced to participate in the Ottoman campaign that reduced Philadelpheia, the last Byzantine enclave in Anatolia. of Constantinople and letters to European courts[edit] heard of his father's death in February 1391, Manuel II Palaiologos fled the Ottoman court and secured the capital against any potential claim by his nephew John VII.[3] Although relations with John VII improved, Sultan Bayezid I blockaded Constantinople from 1394 to 1402. In the meantime, an anti-Ottoman crusade led by the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxemburg failed at the Battle of Nicopolis on 25 September 1396. Manuel II had sent 10 ships to help in that Crusade. In October 1397, Theodore Kantakouzenos, Manuel's uncle, alongside John of Natala arrived at the court of Charles VI of France, bearing the Emperor's letters (dated 1 July 1397) requesting the French king's military aid. In addition, Charles also provided funds for the two nobles to treat with King Richard II of England in April 1398, with the aim of soliciting further aid.[4] Though the latter was preoccupied by domestic troubles at this point to provide any support.[a] the two nobles returned home with the Marshal of France Jean II Le Maingre who was sent from Aigues-Mortes with six ships carrying 1,200 men to assist Manuel II. The Marshal encouraged the latter to go personally to seek assistance against the Ottoman Empire from the courts of western Europe. After some five years of siege, Manuel II entrusted the city to his nephew, aided by a French garrison of 300 men led by Seigneur Jean de Châteaumorand and embarked (along with a suite of 40 people) on a long trip abroad along with the Marshal.[5] trip to Europe[edit] 10 December 1399, Manuel II sailed to the Morea, where he left his wife and children with his brother Theodore I Palaiologos to be protected from his nephew's intentions. He later landed in Venice in April 1400, then he went to Padua, Vicenza and Pavia, until he reached Milan, where he met Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and his close friend Manuel Chrysoloras. Afterwards, he met Charles VI of France at Charenton on 3 June 1400.[6] During his stay in France, Manuel II continued to contact European monarchs.[7] to Michel Pintoin who chronicled the visit to Paris: the king raised his hat, and the emperor raised his imperial cap – he had no hat – and both greeted one another in the most honourable way. When he had welcomed [the emperor], the king accompanied him into Paris, riding side by side. They were followed by the Princes of the Blood who, once the banquet in the royal palace finished, escorted [the emperor] to the lodgings which had been prepared for him in the Louvre castle]. — [8] II Palaiologos (left) with Henry IV of England in London, December 1400.[9] December 1400, he embarked to England to meet Henry IV of England who received him at Blackheath on the 21st of that month,[7] making him the only Byzantine emperor ever to visit England, where he stayed at Eltham Palace until mid-February 1401, and a joust took place in his honour.[10] In addition, he received £2,000, in which he acknowledged receipt of the funds in a Latin document and sealed it with his own golden bull.[11][b] Walsingham wrote about Manuel II's visit to England: the same time the Emperor of Constantinople visited England to ask for help against the Turks. The king with an imposing retinue, met him at Blackheath on the feast of St Thomas [21 December], gave so great a hero an appropriate welcome and escorted him to London. He entertained him there royally for many days, paying the expenses of the emperor's stay, and by grand presents showing respect for a person of such eminence. — [12] Moreover, Adam of Usk reported: the feast of St Thomas the apostle [21 December], the emperor of the Greeks visited the king of England in London to seek help against the Saracens, and was honourably received by him, staying with him for two whole months at enormous expense to the king, and being showered with gifts at his departure. This emperor and his men always went about dressed uniformly in long robes cut like tabards which were all of one colour, namely white, and disapproved greatly of the fashions and varieties of dress worn by the English, declaring that they signified inconstancy and fickleness of heart. No razor ever touched the heads or beards of his priests. These Greeks were extremely devout in their religious services, having them chanted variously by knights or by clerics, for they were sung in their native tongue. I thought to myself how sad it was that this great Christian leader from the remote east had been driven by the power of the infidels to visit distant islands in the west in order to seek help against them. — [13] Manuel II sent a letter to his friend Manuel Chrysoloras, describing his visit to England: what is the reason for the present letter? A large number of letters have come to us from all over bearing excellent and wonderful promises, but most important is the ruler with whom we are now staying, the king of Britain the Great, of a second civilized world, you might say, who abounds in so many good qualities and is adorned with all sorts of virtues. His reputation earns him the admiration of people who have not met him, while for those who have once seen him, he proves brilliantly that Fame is not really a goddess, since she is unable to show the man to be as great as does actual experience. This ruler, then, is most illustrious because of his position, most illustrious too, because of his intelligence; his might amazes everyone, and his understanding wins him friends; he extends his hand to all and in every way he places himself at the service of those who need help. And now, in accord with his nature, he has made himself a virtual haven for us in the midst of a twofold tempest, that of the season and that of fortune, and we have found refuge in the man himself and his character. His conversation is quite charming; he pleases us in every way; he honours us to the greatest extent and loves us no less. Although he has gone to extremes in all he has done for us, he seems almost to blush in the belief—in this he is alone—that he might have fallen considerably short of what he should have done. This is how magnanimous the man is. — [14] II later returned to France with high hopes of substantial help and funds for Constantinople. In the meantime, he sent delegations with relics including pieces of the tunic of Christ and a piece of the Holy Sponge to Pope Boniface IX and Antipope Benedict XIII, Queen Margaret I of Denmark, king Martin of Aragon and king Charles III of Navarre to seek further assistance.[15][16] He eventually left France on 23 November 1402,[17] and finally returned to Constantinople in June 1403. Ottoman sieges[edit] Ottomans were themselves crushingly defeated by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. As the sons of Bayezid I struggled with each other over the succession in the Ottoman Interregnum, John VII was able to secure the return of the European coast of the Sea of Marmara and of Thessalonica to the Byzantine Empire in the Treaty of Gallipoli. When Manuel II returned home in 1403, his nephew duly surrendered control of Constantinople and received as a reward the governorship of newly recovered Thessalonica. The treaty also regained from the Ottomans Mesembria (1403–1453), Varna (1403–1415), and the Marmara coast from Scutari to Nicomedia (between 1403–1421). of the southern Balkans and western Anatolia in 1410, following the Treaty of Gallipoli stavraton coin by Manuel. On the reverse, Manuel's bust. Manuel II kept contact with Venice, Genoa, Paris and Aragon, by sending envoy Manuel Chrysoloras in 1407–8, pursuing to form a coalition against the Ottomans.[18] 25 July 1414, with a fleet consisting of four galleys and two other vessels carrying contingents of infantry and cavalry, departed Constantinople for Thessalonica. The purpose of this force soon became clear when he made an unannounced stop at Thasos, a normally unimportant island which was then under threat from a son of the lord of Lesbos, Francesco Gattilusio. It took Manuel three months to reassert imperial authority on the island. Only then did he continue on to Thessalonica, where he was warmly met by his son Andronicus, who then governed the city. the spring of 1415, he and his soldiers left for the Peloponnese, arriving at the little port of Kenchreai on Good Friday, 29 March. Manuel II Palaiologos used his time there to bolster the defences of the Despotate of Morea, where the Byzantine Empire was actually expanding at the expense of the remnants of the Latin Empire. Here Manuel supervised the building of the Hexamilion (six-mile wall) across the Isthmus of Corinth, intended to defend the Peloponnese from the Ottomans. II stood on friendly terms with the victor in the Ottoman civil war, Mehmed I (1402–1421), but his attempts to meddle in the next contested succession led to a new assault on Constantinople by Murad II (1421–1451) in 1422. During the last years of his life, Manuel II relinquished most official duties to his son and heir John VIII Palaiologos, and went back to Europe searching for assistance against the Ottomans, this time to the King Sigismund of Hungary, staying for two months in his court of Buda. Sigismund (after suffering a defeat against the Turks in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396) never rejected the possibility of fighting against the Ottoman Empire. However, with the Hussite wars in Bohemia, it was impossible to count on the Czech or German armies, and the Hungarian ones were needed to protect the Kingdom and control the religious conflicts.[19] Unhappily Manuel returned home with empty hands from the Hungarian Kingdom, and in 1424 he and his son were forced to sign an unfavourable peace treaty with the Ottoman Turks, whereby the Byzantine Empire had to pay tribute to the sultan. II who had been paralyzed by a stroke since October 1, 1422, and lived his last months as a monk called "Matthew", died on 21 July 1425, aged 75.[20] II was the author of numerous works of varied character, including letters, poems, a Saint's Life, treatises on theology and rhetoric, and an epitaph for his brother Theodore I Palaiologos and a mirror of princes for his son and heir John. This mirror of princes has special value, because it is the last sample of this literary genre bequeathed to us by Byzantines. miniature from the Louvre MS. Ivoires 100 manuscript, depicting Manuel II, Helena and three of their sons - the co-emperor John VIII and the Despots Theodore and Andronikos. his wife Helena Dragas, the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine Dragas, Manuel II Palaiologos had several children, including: A daughter. Mentioned as the eldest daughter but not named. Possibly confused with Isabella Palaiologina, an illegitimate daughter of Manuel II known to have married Ilario Doria. Constantine Palaiologos. Born ca. 1393/8, died before 1405 in Monemvasia.[21] John VIII Palaiologos (18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448). Byzantine emperor, 1425–1448. Andronikos Palaiologos, Lord of Thessalonica (d. 1429). A second daughter. Also not named in the text. Theodore II Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (d. 1448). Michael Palaiologos. Born 1406/7, died 1409/10 of the plague.[22] Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos (8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453). Despotēs in the Morea and subsequently the last Byzantine emperor, 1448–1453. Demetrios Palaiologos (c. 1407–1470). Despotēs in the Morea. Thomas Palaiologos (c. 1409 – 12 May 1465). Despotēs in the Morea. Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 22 ; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1397-1405, Matthew I, Patriarch
Byzantine Patriarch, 1397-1405, Matthew I of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1397, part of The Robe was transferred from C to Rus by St Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Constantinople, 1400-1453, Folder, 15th Century, Ottoman Civil War, C. of Florence

Constantinople, 1401-1431, Marcarius of Mt Athos, Vatopedi monastery, to Pantocrator Monastery Constantinople
Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Macarius was born in Thessalonica during the reign of Emperor Manuel II Paleologos, and went to Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos when he was young. Later, he went to Constantinople and became igumen of the Monastery of the Pantocrator, and chaplain to the Emperor. died in 1431 during an epidemic in Chalke.

Constantinople, 1402-1413, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Ottoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1402-1413, Ottoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7;

Constantinople, 1405-1410, Patriarch, 1405-1410, N/A
Byzantine Patriarch, 1405-1410, N/A Byzantine Patriarch, 1397-1405, Matthew I of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

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

Constantinople, 1410-1416, Patriarch, Euthymius II of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1410-1416, Euthymius II of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1413-1421, Mehmed I, Sultan restorer, Anatolia, conquest of Wallacia, Venice destroyed fleet
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1413-1421, Mehmed I; I (1389 – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi or Krisci,[3] was the Ottoman sultan from 1413 to 1421. fourth son of Sultan Bayezid I and Devlet Hatun, he fought with his brothers over control of the Ottoman realm in the Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413). Starting from the province of Rum he managed to bring first Anatolia and then the European territories (Rumelia) under his control, reuniting the Ottoman state by 1413, and ruling it until his death in 1421. The Restorer, he reestablished central authority in Anatolia, and expanded the Ottoman presence in Europe by the conquest of Wallachia in 1415. Venice destroyed his fleet off Gallipoli in 1416, as the Ottomans lost a naval war.[4] St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1412-1444, Mark of Ephesus, Byzantine Saint
Byzantine Saint, 1412-1444, Mark of Ephesus; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1416-1439, Joseph II, Patriarch of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1416-1439, Joseph II of Constantinople; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1421-1444, 1446-1451, Murat II, Ottoman Empire Sultan , economic development, could have invaded Europe
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1421-1451, Murat II; II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…Ø±Ø§Ø¯ ثانى‎, romanized: MurÄd-Ä± sÄnÄ«, Turkish: II. Murad, 16 June 1404[1][2] – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. II's reign was a period of important economic development. Trade increased and Ottoman cities expanded considerably. In 1432, the traveller Bertrandon de la Broquière noted that Ottoman annual revenue had risen to 2,500,000 ducats, and that if Murad II had used all available resources he could easily have invaded Europe.[4] St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Byzantium, 1425-1448, Emperor, John VIII Palaiologos, consented to union with Roman Church
Byzantine Emperor, 1425-1448, John VIII Palaiologos; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1431-1449, Byzantine and Holy Roman Council, Council of Florence
Byzantine Council, 1431-1449, Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1439-1450, Gregory III, Patriarch of Constantinople
Constantinople, 1439-1450, Patriarch, Gregory III of Constantinople ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1444-1446, 1451-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Muslim Caesar of the Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1444-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror; II (30 March 1432 - 3 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( lit. The Father of Conquest; Turkish: Fatih Sultan Mehmed), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451 he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. the conquest Mehmed claimed the title "Caesar" of the Roman Empire, based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire since its consecration in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine I.[4] The claim was only recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nonetheless, Mehmed II viewed the Ottoman state as a continuation of the Roman Empire for the remainder of his life, seeing himself as continuing the Empire rather than replacing it. continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. At home he made many political and social reforms, encouraged the arts and sciences, and by the end of his reign, his rebuilding program had changed Constantinople into a thriving imperial capital. He is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him. Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Byzantium, 1449-1453, Emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, died at fall of C
Byzantine Emperor, 1449-1453, Constantine XI Palaiologos; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2;

Constantinople, 1453-1922, Folder, Ottoman Period, The Turks

Constantinople, 1453-1499, 15th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Fall of Constantinople

Constantinople, 1453, Fall of Constantinople
Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople (1453); Ottoman Empire; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, 1481-1521, Bayezid II, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, resettled Jews, consolidated E, thwarted Safavid rebellion
Constantinople, 1481-1521, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Bayezid II; Bayezid II ( December 1447 -26 May 1512, Turkish: II. Bayezid) was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid II consolidated the Ottoman Empire and thwarted a Safavid rebellion soon before abdicating his throne to his son, Selim I. He is most notable for evacuating Sephardi Jews from Spain after the proclamation of the Alhambra Decree, and resettling them throughout Ottoman lands, especially in Salonica. St. Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12;

Constantinople, 1486-1502, Nephon II, Patriarch of Constantinople, Romania, Athos
Byzantine Patriarch, 1486-1502, Nephon II of Constantinople; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Nḗphon II, the Patriarch of Constantinople, was from the Peloponnesos. His parents were named Manuel and Maria, and he was named Nicholas in Holy Baptism. Later, he was tonsured as a monk at Epidauros, receiving the new name Nephon. the death of his Elder Anthony, he went to Mount Athos, where he occupied himself by copying books. Afterward, he was chosen as Metropolitan of Thessaloniki. In 1486 he occupied the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. in 1488, the Saint went to the Holy Mountain, at first to Vatopedi Monastery, and then to the monastery of Saint John the Forerunner (Dionysiou). He concealed his rank and occupied the lowliest position. By God’s providence, his rank was revealed to the brethren of the monastery. Once, when the Saint was returning from the forest where he had gone for firewood, all the brethren went out to meet him, greeting him as Patriarch. But even after this, the Saint continued to share various tasks with the brethren. all, he served three times as Patriarch of Constantinople: 1486-1488; 1497-1498; and 1502. Nephon reposed on September 3, 1508 at the age of 90. Immediately after his death, he was honored as a Saint in many places. On August 16, 1517, in the newly-established monastery of Curtea de Argeş, Patriarch Theoleptos of Constantinople, together with the Synod of the Romanian Lands, and the Igoumens of the Athonite monasteries, performed the solemn glorification of Saint Nḗphon, decreeing that his Feast Day be celebrated on August 11th. relics are kept in a shrine at the Monastery of Dionysiou, where there is also a chapel dedicated to him. In gratitude, the Athonite monks gave the Saint's head and hand to Nyagoe Basarab, who placed them in the Monastery he built at Curtea de Argeş in what is now Romania. In the XVIII century, these relics were placed in a silver reliquary. the behest of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, they were brought to Craiova, to the church of Saint Demetrios, the Metropolitan cathedral of Oltenia on October 25, 1949. In 2009, the relics of Saint Nephon were moved to the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord at Targoviste. Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Constantinople, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day
Ephesus, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way.

Constantinople, 1490-1510, Appearances of St Phanourius to free the priests,
Ephesus, 1490-1510, Appearances of St Phanourius to free the priests so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9

Constantinople, 1500-1599, 16th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Suleiman the Magnificent

Constantinople, 1512-1520, Selim I, Ottoman Sultan, Calif, e expansion, including Egypt Mamluk's, guardian p routes
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1512-1520, Selim I, Islam Calif; I (10 October 1470 - 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute[3], was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520.[4] lasting only eight years, his reign is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself. the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 576,900 sq mi (1,494,000 km2), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.[4] conquest of the Middle Eastern heartlands of the Muslim world, and particularly his assumption of the role of guardian of the pilgrimage routes to Mecca and Medina, established the Ottoman Empire as the most prestigious of all Muslim states. conquests dramatically shifted the empire's geographical and cultural center of gravity away from the Balkans and toward the Middle East. the eighteenth century, Selim's conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate had come to be romanticized as the moment when the Ottomans seized leadership over the rest of the Muslim world, and consequently Selim is popularly remembered as the first legitimate Ottoman Caliph, although stories of an official transfer of the caliphal office from the Mamluk Abbasid dynasty to the Ottomans were a later invention.[5] Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St Stephen Stiljianovitch of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Constantinople, 1520-1566, Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Islam Calif, Lawgiver, apex of power
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1520-1566, Suleiman the Magnificent, Islam Calif ; I (6 November 1494 – 6 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver in his realm, was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 until his death in 1566.[2]:541–45 Under his administration, the Ottoman caliphate ruled over at least 25 million people. succeeded his father as sultan in September 1520 and began his reign with campaigns against the Christian powers in central Europe and the Mediterranean. fell to him in 1521 and the island of Rhodes in 1522–23. At Mohács, in August 1526, Suleiman broke the military strength of Hungary. became a prominent monarch of 16th-century Europe, presiding over the apex of the Ottoman Empire's economic, military and political power. Suleiman personally led Ottoman armies in conquering the Christian strongholds of Belgrade and Rhodes as well as most of Hungary before his conquests were checked at the Siege of Vienna in 1529. annexed much of the Middle East in his conflict with the Safavids and large areas of North Africa as far west as Algeria. Under his rule, the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and through the Persian Gulf.[3]:61 the helm of an expanding empire, Suleiman personally instituted major judicial changes relating to society, education, taxation and criminal law. His reforms, carried out in conjunction with the empire's chief judicial official Ebussuud Efendi, harmonized the relationship between the two forms of Ottoman law: sultanic (Kanun) and religious (Sharia).[4] was a distinguished poet and goldsmith; he also became a great patron of culture, overseeing the "Golden" age of the Ottoman Empire in its artistic, literary and architectural development.[5] with Ottoman tradition, Suleiman married Hürrem Sultan, a woman from his harem, an Orthodox Christian of Ruthenian origin who converted to Islam, and who became famous in the West by the name Roxelana, due to her red hair. son Selim II succeeded Suleiman following his death in 1566 after 46 years of rule. other potential heirs, Mehmed and Mustafa, had died; the former had died from smallpox, and the latter had been strangled to death 13 years earlier at the sultan's order. His other son Bayezid was executed in 1561 on Suleiman's orders, along with Bayezid's four sons, after a rebellion. scholars prefer "crisis and adaptation" rather than decline after his death,[6][7][8] the end of Suleiman's reign was a watershed in Ottoman history. the decades after Suleiman, the empire began to experience significant political, institutional, and economic changes, a phenomenon often referred to as the Transformation of the Ottoman Empire.[9]:11 [10] Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa, Commemorated on September 15; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated on February 23; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Constantinople, 1559-1602, Neophytus, Metropolitan of Constantinople, pro western to get them to Crusade
Constantinople Patriarch, 1559-1602, Metropolitan Neophytus of Constantinople; II was Patriarch of Constantinople twice, in 1602–03 and in 1607–12. Athenian, he served as Metropolitan of Athens from 1597 until 3 April 1602, when he was elected as Patriarch in the place of his rival, Matthew II. His tenure was cut short a year later, when he was deposed amid accusations of various scandals. He was initially exiled to Rhodes, and thence to Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai.[1] was restored to the patriarchal throne on 15 October 1607, and held it for five years. his second tenure he took care of aligning church administrative practice and canon law with the contemporary needs, and took measures to replenish the patriarchal coffers.[1] was also in contact with Western potentates, including Pope Paul V and King Philip III of Spain, whom he urged to engage in a crusade to liberate the Orthodox Christians from the Ottoman Empire, going as far as to make considerable concessions to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, including recognizing papal primacy.[1] pro-Western policy and financial exactions made him many enemies, including Cyril Lucaris, who succeeded in securing his deposition in October 1612. Originally slated to be exiled to Rhodes again, he was protected by his successor, Timothy II, who had been his protégé.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on September 8;

Constantinople, 1566-1574, Selim II, Sultan, Viser controlled, HRE & Rus Treaties, Don Canal war, Lepanto loss to HRE
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1566-1574, Selim II; II (30 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as SarÄ± Selim (Selim the Blond) or SarhoÅŸ Selim (Selim the Drunk),[3] was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574. was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sultan. Selim had been an unlikely candidate for the throne until his brother Mehmed died of smallpox, his half-brother Mustafa was strangled to death by the order of his father, his brother Cihangir died of grief at the news of this latter execution, and his brother Bayezid was killed on the order of his father after a rebellion against Selim. died on 15 December 1574 and was buried in Hagia Sophia. life[edit] was born in Constantinople (Istanbul), on 30 May 1524,[1] during the reign of his father Suleiman the Magnificent. His mother was Hurrem Sultan, a slave and concubine who was born an Orthodox priest's daughter in contemporary Ukraine,[4] and later was freed and became Suleiman's legal wife.[5] 1545, at Konya, Selim married[citation needed] Nurbanu Sultan, whose background is disputed. It is said that she was originally named Cecelia Venier Baffo, or Rachel, or Kale Katenou. She was the mother of Murad III, Selim's successor. Hatun, a famous poet of the sixteenth century, was a lady-in-waiting to him. ascends the throne. II gained the throne after palace intrigue and fraternal dispute, succeeding as sultan on the 7th of September 1566. Grand Vizier, Mehmed Sokollu and wife, Nurbanu Sultan, a native of what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, controlled much of state affairs, two years after Selim's accession succeeded in concluding at Constantinople a treaty (17 February 1568) with the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II, whereby the Emperor agreed to pay an annual present of 30,000 ducats and granted the Ottomans authority in Moldavia and Walachia.[citation needed] Agha (d. 1602), a friend to Selim and to the writer Mustafa Ali, was castrated so he could serve in Selim's harem. (Gazanfer's younger brother Cafer was also castrated, but did not survive.)[6] plan had been prepared in Constantinople for uniting the Volga and Don by a canal in order to counter Russian expansion toward the Ottomans' northern frontier. the summer of 1569 a large force of Janissaries and cavalry were sent to lay siege to Astrakhan and begin the canal works, while an Ottoman fleet besieged Azov. However, a sortie from the Astrakhan garrison drove back the besiegers. A Russian relief army of 15,000 attacked and scattered the workmen and the Tatar force sent for their protection. The Ottoman fleet was then destroyed by a storm. in 1570 the ambassadors of Ivan IV of Russia concluded at Istanbul a treaty that restored friendly relations between the Sultan and the Tsar.[citation needed] in the Hejaz and Yemen were more successful,[further explanation needed] the conquest of Cyprus in 1571,[7] led to the naval defeat[how?] against Spain and Italian states in the Battle of Lepanto in the same year. the historic Battle of Naupaktos or Battle of Lepanto, on 7 October 1571, the Holy League defeated the Ottoman navy decisively; the Holy League sank or destroyed 50 Ottoman ships and captured 117 galleys and 20 galliots, 30,000 Turks were lost in battle, 10,000 Turks were taken prisoners, and many thousands of Christian slaves were rescued. The Holy League lost about 7,500 men. Empire's shattered fleets were soon restored (in just six months, it consisted of about 150 galleys and eight galleasses), and the Ottomans maintained control of the eastern Mediterranean (1573). In August 1574, months before Selim's death, the Ottomans regained control of Tunis from Spain, which had captured it in 1572. is known for restoring to Mahidevran Sultan her status and her wealth. He also built the tomb of his eldest brother, Åžehzade Mustafa, who was executed in 1553. the famine of 1573, due to severe cold the farmers of that time did not provide good for the people. Selim gave people food and vegetables in the food kitchen. [8] In April 1574, a fire broke in the printing house of Topkapi Palace and burned many rooms including the cooks and maids were burned and the kitchen was also burned. [8] A few days later the captain, the Janissary, Istanbul lord and Mimar Sinan determined the location and size of the new kitchens to come to the fire. Mimar Sinan AÄŸa cleaned the fireplace of the building of the official building (design) of Üsub-ı ahar. The construction of the new MatbalÄ±- Amir, which is broader and longer than the previous one, was taken from Divan-Ä± Ali Square. [8] Selim II receiving the Safavid ambassador in the palace at Edirne in 1567. century copy of the 1569 Capitulations between Charles IX and Selim II. is introduced as a generous monarch who is fond of pleasure and entertainment in the sources of the period, who is fond of drink councils, enjoys the presence of scholars and poets around him, as well as musicians, wrestlers, and connoisseurs, who do not want to break the hearts of anyone. it is stated that he did not appear much in public, that his father often went to Friday and he went public and he neglected this and spent time in the palace.[1] St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated on December 17; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated on February 23; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Constantinople, 1574-1595, Murad III, Ottoman Empire, Sultan , strangled 5 brothers, wars 2 fronts, financial stress
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1574-1595, Murad III; III (4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. life[edit] in Manisa on 4 July 1546,[1] Åžehzade Murad was the oldest son of Åžehzade Selim and his powerful wife Nurbanu Sultan. He received a good education and learned Arabic and Persian language. After his ceremonial circumcision in 1557, Murad's grandfather, the Sultan Suleiman I, appointed him sancakbeyi (governor) of AkÅŸehir in 1558. the age of 18 he was appointed sancakbeyi of Saruhan. Suleiman died (1566) when Murad was 20, and his father became the new sultan, Selim II. Selim II broke with tradition by sending only his oldest son out of the palace to govern a province, assigning Murad to Manisa.[2]:21–22 died in 1574 and was succeeded by Murad, who began his reign by having his five younger brothers strangled.[3] authority was undermined by harem influences – more specifically, those of his mother and later of his favorite wife Safiye Sultan, often to the detriment of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha's influence on the court.[4] Selim II power had only been maintained by the genius of the powerful Grand Vizier, Mehmed Sokollu, who remained in office until his assassination in October 1579. Murad's reign the northern borders with the Habsburg Monarchy were defended by the Bosnian governor Hasan PredojeviÄ‡. The reign of Murad III was marked by exhausting wars on the empire's western and eastern fronts. The Ottomans also suffered defeats in battles such as the Battle of Sisak. with the Safavids[edit] Ottoman Empire reached its greatest extent in the Middle East under Murad III. Ottomans had been at peace with the neighbouring rivaling Safavid Empire since 1555, per the Treaty of Amasya, that for some time had settled border disputes. in 1577 Murad declared war, starting the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–90), seeking to take advantage of the chaos in the Safavid court after the death of Shah Tahmasp I. also tried to explore North America and make the ideas of colonizing America be more possible. However, he later abandoned all of these ideas after the Spanish navy responded by a naval attack on the Ottoman ships trying to explore North America.[citation needed] was influenced by viziers Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha and Sinan Pasha and disregarded the opposing counsel of Grand Vizier Sokollu. Murad also fought the Safavids which would drag on for 12 years, ending with the Treaty of Constantinople (1590), which resulted in temporary significant territorial gains for the Ottomans.[2]:198–199 Affairs[edit] reign was a time of financial stress for the Ottoman state. To keep up with changing military techniques, the Ottomans trained infantrymen in the use of firearms, paying them directly from the treasury. By 1580 an influx of silver from the New World had caused high inflation and social unrest, especially among Janissaries and government officials who were paid in debased currency. from the resulting rebellions, coupled with the pressure of over-population, was especially felt in Anatolia.[2]:24 Competition for positions within the government grew fierce, leading to bribery and corruption. and Habsburg sources accuse Murad himself of accepting enormous bribes, including 20,000 ducats from a statesman in exchange for the governorship of Tripoli and Tunisia, thus outbidding a rival who had tried bribing the Grand Vizier.[2]:35 his period, excessive inflation was experienced, the value of silver money was constantly played, food prices increased. 400 dirhams should be cut from 600 dirhams of silver, while 800 was cut, which meant 100 percent inflation. For the same reason, the purchasing power of wage earners was halved, and the consequence was an uprising. [5] Pact[edit] envoys and letters were exchanged between Elizabeth I and Sultan Murad III.[6]:39 In one correspondence, Murad entertained the notion that Islam and Protestantism had "much more in common than either did with Roman Catholicism, as both rejected the worship of idols", and argued for an alliance between England and the Ottoman Empire.[6]:40 To the dismay of Catholic Europe, England exported tin and lead (for cannon-casting) and ammunition from the Ottoman Empire, and Elizabeth seriously discussed joint military operations with Murad III during the outbreak of war with Spain in 1585, as Francis Walsingham was lobbying for a direct Ottoman military involvement against the common Spanish enemy.[6]:41 This diplomacy would be continued under Murad's successor Mehmed III, by both the sultan and Safiye Sultan alike. life[edit] the example of his father Selim II, Murad was the second Ottoman sultan who never went on campaign during his reign, instead spending it entirely in Constantinople. During the final years of his reign, he did not even leave TopkapÄ± Palace. For two consecutive years he did not attend the Friday procession to the imperial mosque—an unprecedented breaking of custom. The Ottoman historian Mustafa Selaniki wrote that whenever Murad planned to go out to Friday prayer, he changed his mind after hearing of alleged plots by the Janissaries to dethrone him once he left the palace.[7] Murad withdrew from his subjects and spent the majority of his reign keeping to the company of few people and abiding by a daily routine structured by the five daily Islamic prayers. Murad's personal physician Domenico Hierosolimitano described a typical day in the life of the sultan: the morning he rises at dawn to say his prayer for half an hour, then for another half-hour he writes. Then he is given something pleasant as a collation, and afterwards sets himself to read for another hour. Then he begins to give audience to the members of the Divan on the four days of the week that this occurs, as had been said above. Then he goes for a walk through the garden, taking pleasure in the delight of fountains and animals for another hour, taking with him the dwarves, buffoons and others to entertain him. Then he goes back once again to studying until he considers the time for lunch has arrived. He stays at table only half an hour, and rises (to go) once again into the garden for as long as he pleases. Then he goes to say his midday prayer. Then he stops to pass the time and amuse himself with the women, and he will stay one or two hours with them, when it is time to say the evening prayer. Then he returns to his apartments or, if it pleases him more, he stays in the garden reading or passing the time until evening with the dwarfs and buffoons, and then he returns to say his prayers, that is at nightfall. Then he dines and takes more time over dinner than over lunch, making conversation until two hours after dark, until it is time for prayer [...] He never fails to observe this schedule every day.[2]:29–30 sedentary lifestyle and lack of participation in military campaigns earned him the disapproval of Mustafa Âlî and Mustafa Selaniki, the major Ottoman historians who lived during his reign. Their negative portrayals of Murad influenced later historians.[2]:17–19 Both historians also accused Murad of sexual excess. St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated on December 17; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26;

Constantinople, 1595-1603, Mehmed III, Ottoman, Sultan , k 19 brothers, cruel, war Austria, a England
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1595-1603, Mehmed III ; Mehmed III ( 26 May 1566-“ 22 December 1603) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Early life[edit] Mehmed was born at the Manisa Palace in 1566, during the reign of his great-grandfather, Suleiman the Magnificent. He was the son of Murad III, himself the son of Selim II, who was the son of Sultan Suleiman and Hurrem Sultan. His mother was Safiye Sultan, an Albanian from the Dukagjin highlands.[1] His great-grandfather died the year he was born and his grandfather became the new sultan, Selim II. His grandfather Selim II died when Mehmed was eight, and Mehmed's father, Murad III, became sultan in 1574. Murad died in 1595, when Mehmed was 28 years old. Mehmed spent most of his time in Manisa with his father Murad and mother Safiye, his first teacher Ibrahim Efendi. His circumcision took place on 29 May 1582 when he was 16 years old.[2] Reign[edit] Fratricide[edit] Upon ascending to the throne, Mehmed III ordered that all of his nineteen brothers be executed.[3][4] They were strangled by his royal executioners, many of whom were deaf, mute or 'half-witted' to ensure absolute loyalty.[5] Fratricidal successions were not unprecedented, as sultans would often have dozens of children with their concubines. Mehmed III remains notorious even in Ottoman history for his cruelty. Power struggle in Constantinople[edit] Mehmed III was an idle ruler, leaving government to his mother Safiye Sultan, the valide sultan.[6][unreliable source] His first major problem was the rivalry between two of his viziers, Serdar Ferhad Pasha and Koca Sinan Pasha, and their supporters. His mother and her son-in-law Damat Ibrahim Pasha supported Koca Sinan Pasha and prevented Mehmed III from taking control of the issue himself. The issue grew to cause major disturbances by janissaries. On 7 July 1595, Mehmed III finally sacked Serdar Ferhad Pasha from the position of Grand Vizier due to his failure in Wallachia and replaced him with Sinan.[7] Austro-Hungarian War[edit] Mehmed III accepting the surrender of Eger, 1596 The major event of his reign was the Austro-Ottoman War in Hungary (1593-“1606). Ottoman defeats in the war caused Mehmed III to take personal command of the army, the first sultan to do so since Suleiman I in 1566. Accompanied by the Sultan, the Ottomans conquered Eger in 1596. Upon hearing of the Habsburg army's approach, Mehmed wanted to dismiss the army and return to Istanbul.[8] However, the Ottomans eventually decided to face the enemy and defeated the Habsburg and Transylvanian forces at the Battle of Keresztes[9] (known in Turkish as the Battle of Hasova), during which the Sultan had to be dissuaded from fleeing the field halfway through the battle. Upon returning to Istanbul in victory, Mehmed told his viziers that he would campaign again.[10] The next year the Venetian Bailo in Istanbul noted, "the doctors declared that the Sultan cannot leave for a war on account of his bad health, produced by excesses of eating and drinking".[11][unreliable source?] In reward for his services at the war, Cigalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha was made Grand Vizier in 1596. However, with pressure from the court and his mother, Mehmed reinstated Damat Ibrahim Pasha to this position shortly afterward.[7] However, the victory at the Battle of Keresztes was soon set back by some important losses, including the loss of Gyr (Turkish: Yankale) to the Austrians and the defeat of the Ottoman forces led by Hafhmet Pasha by the Wallachian forces under Michael the Brave in Nikopol in 1599. In 1600, Ottoman forces under Tiryaki Hasan Pasha captured Nagykanizsa after a 40-day siege and later successfully held it against a much greater attacking force in the Siege of Nagykanizsa.[12] Jelali revolts[edit] Another major event of his reign was the Jelali revolts in Anatolia. Karayazlhalim, a former Ottoman official, captured the city of Urfa and declared himself a sultan in 1600. The rumors of his claim to the throne spread to Constantinople and Mehmed ordered the rebels to be treated harshly to dispel the rumors, among these, was the execution of Hseyin Pasha, whom Karayaz Abdlhalim styled as Grand Vizier. In 1601, Abdlhalim fled to the vicinity of Samsun after being defeated by the forces under Sokulluzade Hasan Pasha, the governor of Baghdad. However, his brother, Deli Hasan, killed Sokulluzade Hasan Pasha and defeated troops under the command of Had Hsrev Pasha. He then marched on to Kahya, captured and burned the city.[7][12] Relationship with England[edit] In 1599, the fourth year of Mehmed III's reign, Queen Elizabeth I sent a convoy of gifts to the Ottoman court. These gifts were originally intended for the sultan's predecessor, Murad III, who had died before they had arrived. Included in these gifts was a large jewel-studded clockwork organ that was assembled on the slope of the Royal Private Garden by a team of engineers including Thomas Dallam. The organ took many weeks to complete and featured dancing sculptures such as a flock of blackbirds that sung and shook their wings at the end of the music.[13][14] Also among the English gifts was a ceremonial coach, accompanied by a letter from the Queen to Mehmed's mother, Safiye Sultan. These gifts were intended to cement relations between the two countries, building on the trade agreement signed in 1581 that gave English merchants priority in the Ottoman region.[15] Under the looming threat of Spanish military presence, England was eager to secure an alliance with the Ottomans, the two nations together having the capability to divide the power. Elizabeth's gifts arrived in a large 27-gun merchantman ship that Mehmed personally inspected, a clear display of English maritime strength that would prompt him to build up his fleet over the following years of his reign. The Anglo-Ottoman alliance would never be consummated, however, as relations between the nations grew stagnant due to anti-European sentiments reaped from the worsening Austro-Ottoman War and the deaths of Safiye Sultan's interpreter and the pro-English chief Hasan Pasha.[15][16] Death[edit] Mehmed died on 22 December 1603 at the age of 37. According to one source, the cause of his death was the distress caused by the death of his son, žehzade Mahmud.[17] According to another source, he died either of plague or of stroke.[18] He was buried in Hagia Sophia Mosque. He was succeeded by his son Ahmed I as the new sultan. St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Constantinople, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Sunni Shia (Ottoman Sarafid) War

Constantinople, 1601, Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar Neighborhood, Constantinople, impaled by the Turks
Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar was from the village of Bezoula, Agrapha diocese in Greece. lived in asceticism at first as a monk at the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos at Koronis, later was chosen as bishop of the Phanar and Neochorion. his refusal to accept Islam, he was beaten and impaled by the Turks in 1601. head is at the monastery at Koronis and has been glorified by numerous miracles.

Constantinople, 1601-1660, Cyriacus of Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, one of romania's greatest ascetics, naked, covered w hair
Romania, 1600-1660, Cyriacus of Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, Transylvania, one of romania's greatest ascetics, 1600-1660, naked summer and winter, covered w hair, unceasing prayer, grace, relics still in cave near Voivodal Church of Bisericani; This location chosen because: This is the only Bisericani Commune in the mountains. Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; Kyriakos of Bisericani is one of Romania’s greatest ascetics, and in his life he resembled the great Fathers of the Egyptian desert. lived in Bisericani Monastery at the beginning of the XVII century, which then had more than a hundred monks. Longing for a life of solitude, Saint Kyriakos retreated into the wilderness, to a cave on Simon's Mountain, where he remained for sixty years. Saint Onuphrios (June 12), Saint Kyriakos went about naked both in summer and in winter, and his body became covered with hair. He glorified God by his unceasing prayer and ascetical struggles. Therefore, Christ gave him the grace to overcome the forces of nature, and the demons which assailed him. great holiness and perfecting himself in virtue, Saint Kyriakos fell asleep in the Lord in 1660. His relics were buried in his cave, where there is now a small chapel dedicated to him. Later, because of unsettled conditions in the land, the faithful took portions of his relics away and hid them in order to prevent them from being desecrated. holy Hierarch Dositheos, Metropolitan of Moldova (December 13), knew Saint Kyriakos during his lifetime. After the latter's repose, Saint Dositheos venerated his holy relics. Kyriakos is one of the great hesychasts of the Carpathians. His life was one of complete self-denial, humility, and unceasing prayer. He gave his soul to Christ, and is numbered with the Saints who are honored by the people. His relics were placed in the cave where he lived, a cave which may still be seen today, and where a Paraklesis is chanted in his honor. cave of Saint Kyriakos is located near the Voivodal Church of Bisericani, which is now on the property of a sanatorium. Over the centuries it has been a place of pilgrimage for the faithful. Kyriakos of Bisericani is commemorated on December 31, the day of his repose, and on October 1, the day of his glorification in 2008.

Romania, 1601-1660, Kyriakos of Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1), Divine light, tears, prophecy, deliverance
Romania, 1600-1660, Kyriakos of Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1), exceptional holiness, Divine light, tears, prophecy, deliverance, from his youth, like a fool for Christ; Tazlau (Tazlau Mare River); Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; few people who honor the Saints are familiar with Saint Kyriakos (Chiriac) of Tazlau, his was a life of exceptional holiness. Believers from the surrounding area have maintained their respect for this chosen vessel, passing his name down from father to son. Saint Kyriakos was born into a peasant family, and became a monk at the Tazlau Monastery when Dositheos was the Igoumen. He was from the nearby village of Mastacan, a village which today belongs to the community of Borlesti. Kyriakos of Tazlau lived on a knoll in front of the monastery, remaining in permanent communion with divine grace, which first entered his soul at Holy Baptism. He was so pure that he had attained the measure of perfect manhood (Ephesians 4:13). He did not choose such a life when he was an old man, after tasting the sweetness of this fleeting life, but embraced it from his youth, like a fool for the sake of Christ. Since he surpassed the other monks in humility, prayer, and virtue, he was found worthy of the grace of the priesthood. to attain further perfection, Saint Kyriakos withdrew to a mountain called Magura Tazlaului, where he lived for fifty years. There he struggled in a manner similar to the great hesychasts of old, sustaining himself with dried bread and fruits, keeping all-night vigils and shedding copious tears. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, he was able to forsee future events, and to cast out evil spirits. solitary prayer in his cell, Saint Kyriakos uprooted the thorns of the passions from his body, and acquired the opposite virtues. The joy of Christ's Resurrection assuaged the sorrows of his soul, and his face shone with the uncreated light of Tabor. He did not experience any discouragement in his struggle with temptations and with evil spirits. time, many disciples flocked to him seeking his spiritual counsel. These, in turn, became hesychasts and lived in the mountains of Tazlau, Nichitu, and Tarcau. reaching an advanced age, Saint Kyriakos surrendered his soul to God on December 31, 1660. His disciples buried him in a cave on Magura Tazlaului, and many miracles took place through his holy relics. the end of the seventeenth century Moldavia was threatened by great dangers, and many people took refuge in the forests. The relics of Saint Kyriakos were divided among the faithful so that they would not be desecrated by infidels. Thus, the mountain cave on Magura Tazlaului was deprived of its great treasure.

Constantinople, 1603-1617, Ahmed I, Ottoman Empire Sultan, ended royal fratricide, didn't execute brothers, c Blue Mosque
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1603-1617, Ahmed I ; I (April 1590 - 22 November 1617) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617. reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth Ottoman rulers would no longer systematically execute their brothers upon accession to the throne.[2] He is also well known for his construction of the Blue Mosque, one of the most famous mosques in Turkey. Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Constantinople, 1612-1638, Cyril 1, Partiarch, protestant support, anti Jesuit, anti Calvinist, defender of Orthodoxy
Constantinople Partiarch, 1612-1638, Cyril 1 ; Lucaris or Loukaris (13 November 1572 - 27 June 1638), born Constantine Lucaris, was a Greek prelate and theologian, and a native of Candia, Crete (then under the Republic of Venice). He later became the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I. contemporaries, and some modern Calvinist writers as well, have claimed that he strove for a reform of the Eastern Orthodox Church along Protestant, Calvinist lines.[1] Attempts to bring Calvinism into the Orthodox Church were rejected, and Cyril's actions, motivations, and specific viewpoints remain a matter of debate among scholars. the Orthodox Church recognizes him as a hieromartyr and defender of the Orthodox faith against both the Jesuit Catholics and Calvinist Protestants. official glorification of Cyril Loukaris took place by decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria on 6 October 2009, and his memory is commemorated on 27 June.[2][3] Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I, Ottoman Empire Sultan, the Mad, Mother was regent
Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I; I (c. 1591 - 20 January 1639), called Mustafa the Saint (Veli Mustafa) during his second reign and often called Mustafa the Mad (Deli Mustafa) by modern historians, was the son of Mehmed III and was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. 1 Early life 2 First reign (1617–1618) 3 Deposition 4 Alleged mental instability 5 Second reign (1622–1623) 6 Deposition and last years 7 Death 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links life[edit] was born in the Manisa Palace, as the younger brother of Ahmed I (1603–1617). His mother was Halime Sultan, an Abkhazian lady.[1] 1603 it was customary for an Ottoman Sultan to have his brothers executed shortly after he gained the throne (Mustafa's father Mehmed III had executed 19 of his own brothers). But when the thirteen-year-old Ahmed I was enthroned in 1603, he spared the life of the twelve-year-old Mustafa.[2] factor in Mustafa's survival is the influence of Kosem Sultan (Ahmed's favorite consort), who may have wished to preempt the succession of Osman, Ahmed’s first-born son from another concubine. Osman became Sultan, he would likely try to execute his half-brothers, the sons of Ahmed and Kosem. (This scenario later became a reality when Osman II executed his brother Mehmed in 1621.[3]) However, the reports of foreign ambassadors suggest that Ahmed actually liked his brother.[4] Ahmed's death in 1617, Mustafa lived in the Old Palace, along with his mother, and grandmother Safiye Sultan.[5] reign (1617–1618)[edit] death created a dilemma never before experienced by the Ottoman Empire. Multiple princes were now eligible for the Sultanate, and all of them lived in TopkapÄ± Palace.[3] court faction headed by the Şeyhülislam Esad Efendi and Sofu Mehmed Pasha (who represented the Grand Vizier when he was away from Constantinople) decided to enthrone Mustafa instead of Ahmed's son Osman. Mehmed argued that Osman was too young to be enthroned without causing adverse comment among the populace. The Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha objected, citing Mustafa's mental problems, but he was overruled.[6] Mustafa's rise created a new succession principle of seniority that would last until the end of the Empire. It was the first time an Ottoman Sultan was succeeded by his brother instead of his son. His mother Halime Sultan became the Valide Sultan as well as a regent and wielded great power. Due to Mustafa's mental conditions, she acted as a regent and exercised power more directly. was hoped that regular social contact would improve Mustafa's mental health, but his behavior remained eccentric. He pulled off the turbans of his viziers and yanked their beards. Others observed him throwing coins to birds and fish. The Ottoman historian Ä°brahim Peçevi wrote "this situation was seen by all men of state and the people, and they understood that he was psychologically disturbed."[7] was never more than a tool of court cliques at the TopkapÄ± Palace.[8] In 1618, after a short rule, another palace faction deposed him in favour of his young nephew Osman II (1618–1622), and Mustafa was sent back to the Old Palace. conflict between the Janissaries and Osman II presented him with a second chance. After a Janissary rebellion led to the deposition and assassination of Osman II in 1622, Mustafa was restored to the throne and held it for another year.[9] mental instability[edit] according to Baki Tezcan, there is not enough evidence to properly establish that Mustafa was mentally imbalanced when he came to the throne. Mustafa "made a number of excursions to the arsenal and the navy docks, examining various sorts of arms and taking an active interest in the munitions supply of the army and the navy." One of the dispatches of Baron de Sancy, the French ambassador, "suggested that Mustafa was interested in leading the Safavid campaign himself and was entertaining the idea of wintering in Konya for that purpose."[10] one contemporary observer provides an explanation of the coup which does not mention the incapacity of Mustafa. Baron de Sancy ascribes the deposition to a political conspiracy between the grand admiral Ali Pasha and Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha, who were angered by the former's removal from office upon Sultan Mustafa's accession. They may have circulated rumors of the sultan's mental instability subsequent to the coup in order to legitimize it.[11] reign (1622–1623)[edit] commenced his reign by executing all those who had taken any share in the murder of Sultan Osman. Hoca Ömer Efendi, the chief of the rebels, the kÄ±zlar Agha Suleiman Agha, the vizier Dilaver Pasha, the Kaim-makam Ahmed Pasha, the defterdar Baki Pasha, the segban-bashi Nasuh Agha, and the general of the janissaries Ali Agha, were cut into pieces.[12][non-primary source needed] epithet "Veli" (meaning "saint") was used in reference to him during his reign.[13] mental condition unimproved, Mustafa was a puppet controlled by his mother and brother-in-law, the grand vizier Kara Davud Pasha. He believed that Osman II was still alive and was seen searching for him throughout the palace, knocking on doors and crying out to his nephew to relieve him from the burden of sovereignty.[14] "The present emperor being a fool" (according to English Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe), he was compared unfavorably with his predecessor.[7] In fact, it was his mother Halime Sultan the de facto-co-ruler as Valide Sultan of the Ottoman empire. and last years[edit] instability was generated by conflict between the Janissaries and the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry), followed by the Abaza rebellion, which occurred when the governor-general of Erzurum, Abaza Mehmed Pasha, decided to march to Istanbul to avenge the murder of Osman II. The regime tried to end the conflict by executing Kara Davud Pasha, but Abaza Mehmed continued his advance. Clerics and the new Grand Vizier (KemankeÅŸ Kara Ali Pasha) prevailed upon Mustafa's mother to allow the deposition of her son. She agreed, on condition that Mustafa's life would be spared.[3][15] 11-year-old Murad IV, son of Ahmed I and Kösem, was enthroned on 10 September 1623. In return for her consent to his deposition, the request of Mustafa's mother that he be spared execution was granted.[16] Mustafa was sent along with his mother to the Eski (old) Palace.[17] source states that Mustafa was executed by the orders of his nephew, Sultan Murad IV on 20 January 1640 in order to end the Ottoman dynasty and prevented to give power to his mother Kösem Sultan. Another source states that he died of epilepsy which was caused by being imprisoned for 34 years out of his 48 years of life. He is buried in the courtyard of the Haghia Sophia.[18]

Constantinople, 1618-1622, Osman II, Ottoman Sultan. educated, polish c, g winter, Janissari coffee houses, Killed by Js
Constantinople, 1618-1622, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Osman II; II (3 November 1604 - 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. life[edit] II was born at TopkapÄ± Palace, Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I (1603–17) and one of his consorts Mahfiruz Hatun. According to later traditions, at a young age, his mother had paid a great deal of attention to Osman's education, as a result of which Osman II became a known poet and would have mastered many languages, including Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, and Italian; this has been refuted since.[2] was born eleven months after his father Ahmed Ahmed's transition to the throne. He was trained in the palace. According to foreign observers, he was one of the most cultured of Ottoman princes. [3] failure to capture the throne at the death of his father Ahmed may have been caused by the absence of a mother to lobby in his favour; his own mother was probably already dead or in exile. Ottoman Empire in 1622, the year of the regicide of Osman II II ascended the throne at the age of 14 as the result of a coup d' etat against his uncle Mustafa I the Intestable (1617–18, 1622–23). his youth, Osman II soon sought to assert himself as a ruler, and after securing the empire's eastern border by signing a peace treaty (Treaty of Serav) with Safavid Persia, he personally led the Ottoman campaign against Poland and king Sigismund III during the Moldavian Magnate Wars.[4] to sign a humiliating peace treaty with the Poles after the Battle of Khotyn (Chocim) in September- October, 1621, Osman II returned home to Constantinople in shame, blaming the cowardice of the Janissaries and the insufficiency of his statesmen for his humiliation.[5] basic and exceptional weakness from which Osman II suffered was the conspicuous absence of a female power basis in the harem. From 1620 until Osman's death, a governess (daye hatun, lit. wet-nurse) was appointed as a stand-in valide, and she could not counterbalance the contriving of Mustafa I's mother in the Old Palace. he did have a loyal chief black eunuch at his side, this could not compensate for the absence of what in the politics of that period was a winning combination, valide sultan–chief black eunuch, especially in the case of a young and very ambitious ruler.[6] According to Piterberg, Osman II did not have haseki sultan, opposite with Peirce who claim that Ayse was Osman's haseki. But it is clear that Ayse could not take valide's role during her spouse's reign.[citation needed] the autumn of 1620, Ozi Beylerbeyi Iskender Pasha seized the secret letter sent by Transylvanian Prince Bethlen Gabor to Istanbul and sent it to Poland, and Osman also became a veteran of the people around him. decided to embark on a Polish expedition. [7] Continuing preparations for the Polish campaign, neither cold nor famine nor the British ambassador John Eyre could deter Osman. The ambassador of Sigismund III, the King of Poland, was brought into Istanbul despite the severe colds. The janissaries and army were not willing to go on a campaign, regardless of their conditions.[8] winter of 1621[edit] II on horseback the murder of Sehzade Mehmed on 12 January 1621, a severe snow started in Istanbul. The people of Istanbul were drastically affected by the cold, which increased local violence on 24 January 1621, more so than the palace murder. This is the biggest natural disaster that concerns the capital in Osman's four-year short reign. Bostanzade Yahya Efendi, one of those who lived through this cold, tells that the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus were covered with ice in the end of January-beginning of February: Between Uskudar and Besiktas, the men walk around and go to Uskudar. [8] They came from Istanbul on foot. And the year became a gala (famine).[8] was snowing for 15 days, that the frosts were frozen from the severity of the cold, but that the river was open between Sarayburnu and Uskudar.[8] For this natural disaster, froze in thirty thousand froze between Uskudar and Istanbul from the cold, Hasimi Celebii, The road became Uskudar, the Mediterranean froze a thousand thirty. As a result of the inconvenience of the Zahire ships, there was a complete famine in Istanbul, and 75 dirhams of bread jumped to one akche, and the oak of the meat to 15 akches.[8] Osman the Young was strangled in Yedikule Zindans in 1622 Fortress in 1685 of the entrances of the Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, where Osman II was strangled to death by revolting Janissaries Fortress in 1827 a counterweight to Janissary influence, Osman II closed their coffee shops (the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne) and started planning to create a new and more loyal army consisting of Anatolian sekbans.[9] result was a palace uprising by the Janissaries, who promptly imprisoned the young sultan in Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, where Osman II was strangled to death. Osman's death, his ear was cut off and represented to Halime Sultan and Sultan Mustafa I to confirm his death and Mustafa would no longer need to fear his nephew. It was the first time in the Ottoman history that a Sultan was executed by the Janissaries.[10] This disaster is one of the most discussed topics in Ottoman history. Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Constantinople, 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I, 2nd reign, the Mad, Mother as regent
Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I; I (c. 1591 - 20 January 1639), called Mustafa the Saint (Veli Mustafa) during his second reign and often called Mustafa the Mad (Deli Mustafa) by modern historians, was the son of Mehmed III and was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. 1 Early life 2 First reign (1617–1618) 3 Deposition 4 Alleged mental instability 5 Second reign (1622–1623) 6 Deposition and last years 7 Death 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links life[edit] was born in the Manisa Palace, as the younger brother of Ahmed I (1603–1617). His mother was Halime Sultan, an Abkhazian lady.[1] 1603 it was customary for an Ottoman Sultan to have his brothers executed shortly after he gained the throne (Mustafa's father Mehmed III had executed 19 of his own brothers). But when the thirteen-year-old Ahmed I was enthroned in 1603, he spared the life of the twelve-year-old Mustafa.[2] factor in Mustafa's survival is the influence of Kosem Sultan (Ahmed's favorite consort), who may have wished to preempt the succession of Osman, Ahmed’s first-born son from another concubine. Osman became Sultan, he would likely try to execute his half-brothers, the sons of Ahmed and Kosem. (This scenario later became a reality when Osman II executed his brother Mehmed in 1621.[3]) However, the reports of foreign ambassadors suggest that Ahmed actually liked his brother.[4] Ahmed's death in 1617, Mustafa lived in the Old Palace, along with his mother, and grandmother Safiye Sultan.[5] reign (1617–1618)[edit] death created a dilemma never before experienced by the Ottoman Empire. Multiple princes were now eligible for the Sultanate, and all of them lived in TopkapÄ± Palace.[3] court faction headed by the Şeyhülislam Esad Efendi and Sofu Mehmed Pasha (who represented the Grand Vizier when he was away from Constantinople) decided to enthrone Mustafa instead of Ahmed's son Osman. Mehmed argued that Osman was too young to be enthroned without causing adverse comment among the populace. The Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha objected, citing Mustafa's mental problems, but he was overruled.[6] Mustafa's rise created a new succession principle of seniority that would last until the end of the Empire. It was the first time an Ottoman Sultan was succeeded by his brother instead of his son. His mother Halime Sultan became the Valide Sultan as well as a regent and wielded great power. Due to Mustafa's mental conditions, she acted as a regent and exercised power more directly. was hoped that regular social contact would improve Mustafa's mental health, but his behavior remained eccentric. He pulled off the turbans of his viziers and yanked their beards. Others observed him throwing coins to birds and fish. The Ottoman historian Ä°brahim Peçevi wrote "this situation was seen by all men of state and the people, and they understood that he was psychologically disturbed."[7] was never more than a tool of court cliques at the TopkapÄ± Palace.[8] In 1618, after a short rule, another palace faction deposed him in favour of his young nephew Osman II (1618–1622), and Mustafa was sent back to the Old Palace. conflict between the Janissaries and Osman II presented him with a second chance. After a Janissary rebellion led to the deposition and assassination of Osman II in 1622, Mustafa was restored to the throne and held it for another year.[9] mental instability[edit] according to Baki Tezcan, there is not enough evidence to properly establish that Mustafa was mentally imbalanced when he came to the throne. Mustafa "made a number of excursions to the arsenal and the navy docks, examining various sorts of arms and taking an active interest in the munitions supply of the army and the navy." One of the dispatches of Baron de Sancy, the French ambassador, "suggested that Mustafa was interested in leading the Safavid campaign himself and was entertaining the idea of wintering in Konya for that purpose."[10] one contemporary observer provides an explanation of the coup which does not mention the incapacity of Mustafa. Baron de Sancy ascribes the deposition to a political conspiracy between the grand admiral Ali Pasha and Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha, who were angered by the former's removal from office upon Sultan Mustafa's accession. They may have circulated rumors of the sultan's mental instability subsequent to the coup in order to legitimize it.[11] reign (1622–1623)[edit] commenced his reign by executing all those who had taken any share in the murder of Sultan Osman. Hoca Ömer Efendi, the chief of the rebels, the kÄ±zlar Agha Suleiman Agha, the vizier Dilaver Pasha, the Kaim-makam Ahmed Pasha, the defterdar Baki Pasha, the segban-bashi Nasuh Agha, and the general of the janissaries Ali Agha, were cut into pieces.[12][non-primary source needed] epithet "Veli" (meaning "saint") was used in reference to him during his reign.[13] mental condition unimproved, Mustafa was a puppet controlled by his mother and brother-in-law, the grand vizier Kara Davud Pasha. He believed that Osman II was still alive and was seen searching for him throughout the palace, knocking on doors and crying out to his nephew to relieve him from the burden of sovereignty.[14] "The present emperor being a fool" (according to English Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe), he was compared unfavorably with his predecessor.[7] In fact, it was his mother Halime Sultan the de facto-co-ruler as Valide Sultan of the Ottoman empire. and last years[edit] instability was generated by conflict between the Janissaries and the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry), followed by the Abaza rebellion, which occurred when the governor-general of Erzurum, Abaza Mehmed Pasha, decided to march to Istanbul to avenge the murder of Osman II. The regime tried to end the conflict by executing Kara Davud Pasha, but Abaza Mehmed continued his advance. Clerics and the new Grand Vizier (KemankeÅŸ Kara Ali Pasha) prevailed upon Mustafa's mother to allow the deposition of her son. She agreed, on condition that Mustafa's life would be spared.[3][15] 11-year-old Murad IV, son of Ahmed I and Kösem, was enthroned on 10 September 1623. In return for her consent to his deposition, the request of Mustafa's mother that he be spared execution was granted.[16] Mustafa was sent along with his mother to the Eski (old) Palace.[17] source states that Mustafa was executed by the orders of his nephew, Sultan Murad IV on 20 January 1640 in order to end the Ottoman dynasty and prevented to give power to his mother Kösem Sultan. Another source states that he died of epilepsy which was caused by being imprisoned for 34 years out of his 48 years of life. He is buried in the courtyard of the Haghia Sophia.[18]

Constantinople, 1623-1640, Murad IV, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Ottoman Safavid War (1623-1639)
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1623-1640, Murad IV; IV (Turkish: IV. Murad, 27 July 1612 - 8 February 1640) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603–17) and Kosem Sultan.[2] He was brought to power by a palace conspiracy in 1623, and he succeeded his uncle Mustafa I (r. 1617–18, 1622–23). was only 11 when he ascended the throne. His reign is most notable for the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–1639), of which the outcome would partition the Caucasus between the two Imperial powers for around two centuries, while it also roughly laid the foundation for the current Turkey–Iran–Iraq borders. The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Constantinople, 1623, Anthimus II, Partiarch, catholic support, Orthodox, false credit instruments 20,000 L, deposed by Cyril
Constantinople Partiarch, 1623, Anthimus II ; II was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for a few months in 1623. was born in Constantinople to a noble and rich family. Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople he was Metropolitan of Adrianople.[1] short reign has to be considered in the context of the clash between the pro-Calvinist Patriarch Cyril Lucaris, supported by the Dutch and English ambassadors, and his opponents supported by the French, Austrian and Venetian ambassadors to the Ottoman capital. latter were successful at persuading the Grand Vizier to depose Cyril Lucaris on 12 April 1623 and to appoint in his place the blind and old Gregory IV. The Metropolitans and the bishops were unsatisfied with Gregory IV because he had not been canonically elected by the Holy Synod. Thus on 18 June 1623 the Holy Synod deposed Gregory IV and formally elected Anthimus II as Patriarch of Constantinople.[2] II, even if politically supported by the Catholic governments, remained a strong and good Orthodox.[3] sent metropolitans to Rhodes, where Lucaris was temporarily exiled, to persuade him to retire to Mount Athos, but without success. On the contrary, Lucaris, thanks to the Calvinist Dutch ambassador, returned to Constantinople and produced false instruments of credit for 20,000 Livres on the Patriarchate.[3] could not find such large amount and was forced to abdicate on 22 September 1623.[3] Subsequently, Lucaris returned on the patriarchal throne for the third time. his resignation, Anthimus retired on Mount Athos where he died in 1628.[1] Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius of Lubensk, writer, urged Tsar unite with Cossack's
Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Constantinople, 1640-1648, Ibrahim, Ottoman Empire Sultan, the Mad, incompetent
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1640-1648, Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire; (5 November 1615 - 18 August 1648) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in İstanbul, the son of Ahmed I by Valide Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia.[1][2][3] was called "Deli Ibrahim" ("Ibrahim the Mad") due to his mental condition and behavior.[4] However Scott Rank notes that his opponents spread rumors of the sultan's insanity, and some historians suggest he was more incompetent than mad.[5] New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1648-1687, Mehmed IV, Sultan, long reign, empire reached height of European territorial expansion
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1648-1687, Mehmed IV; IV (2 January 1642 -6 January 1693) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to become the second longest reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent.[1] While the initial and final years of his reign were characterized by military defeat and political instability, during his middle years he oversaw the revival of the empire's fortunes associated with the K era. Mehmed IV was known by contemporaries as a particularly pious ruler, and was referred to as gazi, or "holy warrior" for his role in the many conquests carried out during his long reign.[2] his reign the empire reached the height of its territorial expansion in Europe. From a young age he developed a keen interest in hunting, for which he is known as the hunter.[1] In 1687 Mehmed was overthrown by soldiers disenchanted by the course of the ongoing War of the Holy League. He subsequently retired to Edirne, where he resided until his natural death in 1693.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœQuick to HearÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on November 9; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 1652, John of Thasos, Macedonia, aprentice tailor, seized by turks for insulting Moslems, no conversion, beheaded
Greece, 1652, John of Thasos, Macedonia, 18 yr old aprentice tailor, seized by turks for insulting Moslems, no conversion, beheaded; Thasos; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; New Martyr John of Thasos was from the village of Marias on the island of Thasos. In his youth he was brought to Constantinople and apprenticed to a tailor. day he was seized by the Turks and accused of insulting the Moslem religion. They tried to force him to accept Islam, but he would not agree to renounce the Christian Faith, for which he was beheaded at the age of eighteen in the year 1652.

Constantinople, 1657, Gabriel II, Patriarch, Serb, alms from Romania& Russia, service books for Russia, Jesuit slander, martyred
Constantinople Patriarch, 1657, Gabriel II of Constantinople; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Gabriel I, Patriarch of Serbia (family name Raicha), occupied the cathedra in the mid-seventeenth century, a time when the Moslem fanaticism had become intense. In the urgent need for both cathedral and country the saint went to collect alms at Walachia, and from there to Moscow. Moscow in 1655, he was present with the Patriarch of Antioch at a Church Council which sought to correct various aspects of church service books in accord with the Greek and Old Slavonic texts. The saint brought several manuscripts and three liturgies printed in the south as gifts to the Russian Church. saint returned to Serbia with generous alms for his Church and country. His cathedra had been given to another occupant, and moreover, Austrian Jesuits had slandered him with treason before the vizier. The saint’s innocence was obvious, because the vizier pretended he would spare his life and grant him an important official position, if the saint would betray his faith in the Savior. “I am completely innocent of state crimes,” said Saint Gabriel, “this you admit yourself. I shall never agree to save my life by betraying the Christian Faith while I remain of sound mind. Keep your riches and honors, for I don’t need them.” After harsh torture, Saint Gabriel was hanged in October 1659. the general service of the Serblyak (collective services to Serbian saints) on August 30 are also remembered: Saint Iakov, Archbishop of Serbia (February 3, 1292), the holy Bishop Gregory (a descendant of the renowned Nehemanicha lineage), and also the saints: Archbishop Savva III (1305-1316), and the Patriarchs Cyril, Nikon, John, Maximus.

Constantinople, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear
Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ; wonderworking "Quick to Hear" Icon of the Mother of God is kept at Dokheiarίou Monastery on Mount Athos, and is believed to date from the XI century, during the time of Saint Neophytos, the Igoumen of the Monastery. the wonderworking Portaitissa Icon, the most famous Icon on Mount Athos is an ancient fresco of the Panagia located outside on the east wall of the trapeza, and to the right of the entrance. 1664 the Monk Neilos, the steward of the trapeza, often passed before the Icon holding a lit torch in his hand so he could carry out his duties in the trapeza. One day, he heard a voice say to him: "Do not come this way again with your torches, darkening my Icon with smoke." did not pay much attention to the voice, thinking that someone was playing a joke on him. It was not long before he heard the voice again saying, "O monk, unworthy of the name, how long will you continue to darken my Icon with smoke?" hearing the voice, Neilos was struck blind. Then he remembered that he had heard the voice before, and realized that he deserved this punishment, for he did not heed the command of the Mother of God, but had ignored it in his ignorance. next morning, the brethren found him laying on the floor of the corridor before the Icon, unable to see them. When they learned why Neilos had been punished, the monks were terrified. From that time on, they passed by the Icon with great reverence, and hung an unsleeping lamp before it. however, did not want to return to his cell. He remained before the Icon in a stasidi, calling upon the Theotokos with tears and lamentations to forgive him for the sin he had committed. He begged her to restore his sight, as a sign of her forgiveness, so that he might gaze upon her Icon and glorify her. was not disappointed in his hopes, for the Mother of God heard the prayers of her repentant servant. He heard her voice a third time, saying, "Monk, your prayer has been heard. You are forgiven, and you shall receive your sight again. Declare to the other Fathers and brethren who struggle here that I am the Mother of God, and that after God, I am the shelter and help and mighty protector of this Monastery of the Archangels, providing for it as its defender and guide. From now on, let the monks come to me for all their needs, and I will hear them quickly, as well as all Orthodox Christians who come to me with reverence, for I am called Quick to Hear." soon this miracle and the promise of the Theotokos became known throughout the Holy Mountain, and monks from the other Monasteries came to Dokheiarίou to venerate the Icon, and to see the monk who had regained his sight. The corridor was closed off and a chapel was built to house the "Quick to Hear" Icon. One of the most devout and accomplished Hieromonks is appointed to be present in the chapel. He is known as the prosmonarios, and he is there most of the time to chant Canons of Supplication before the Icon, which he censes every evening and morning, tending the chapel, and trimming the oil lamps. "Quick to Hear" Icon venerated not only on the Holy Mountain, but also by Orthodox Christians all over the world. Countless miracles of healing are worked by the Mother of God through her Holy Icon. The blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence. copy of the "Quick to Hear Icon" was painted on Mount Athos and was sent as a gift from the Russian and other devout monks of the Holy Mountain to Archbishop Tikhon (later Patriarch of Moscow) of the Aleutian Islands and North America. May of 1906 that copy of the famous "Quick to Hear” Icon at Dokheiarίou Monastery was carried to Saint Tikhon's Monastery (in Walmart, PA) in a solemn Cross Procession, along with several others, including one of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. relics of several saints were placed in the Icon. These include the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratēlátēs (Feb. 8), Saints Cosmas and Damian the Unmercenary Physicians, Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (Nov. 14), and the Holy New Martyr Constantine of Mount Athos, who was born on the island of Hydra and suffered at the hands of the Turks on the island of Rhodes on November 14, 1800. "Quick to Hear" Icon is now on the iconostasis of Saint Tikhon's Monastery church.

Constantinople, 1671-1704, Selim I Giray, Crimean Khan, 4 times Khan, first time lost to Pochaev Icon
Mongol, Crimea, 1671-1704, Crimean Khan, Selim I Giray; I Giray, Selim Khan Girai (Crimean Tatar: I Selim Geray, Turkish: 1. Selim Giray) was four times khan of the Crimean Khanate in the period from 1671 to 1704. During this time Crimean khans were regularly appointed and replaced by the Ottomans. The main events of the period were the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, the Russian capture of Azov and the Great Turkish War during which the Turks were pushed back from Vienna to about the line of Belgrade. Unlike other khans of the period, he ruled well and had no conflicts with his nobles. He was born in 1631. khans were the direct descendants of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Emperor. After the death of Genghis Khan (1227) the empire was partitioned and the part in East Europe and Northwest Asia was named Golden Horde. The Golden Horde khans embraced Islam. region which was also called Desht-i Qipchaq was the home of Kypchak Turks and the khanate was Turkified. the early 15th century Golden Horde was further partitioned. One of the parts was the Crimean Khanate founded in and around the Crimean Peninsula, modern Ukraine in 1441. 1478, Giray was the name of the dynasty of khans. However, after partitioning, the parts of the khanate were no longer the major powers in the East Europe and in 1478 after an Ottoman campaign to Cremea, the Crimean Khanate had to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Being the main Moslem vassal of the empire, Crimean Khanate had a privileged status in the Ottoman Empire. father Bahadır I Giray (1637) was one of the many sons of Selâmet I Giray (1608). Selyamet was the ancestor of most subsequent khans. He had 10 daughters and either 10 or 13 sons, five of whom were khans. Among his sons were Devlet II Giray (1699, 1709), Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707, 1713, 1730), Saadet IV Giray (1717), Meñli II Giray (1724, 1737) and Selâmet II Giray (1740) and Azamet, Adil, Muhamed, Shabaz, Maksud, Sahib and Safa. Most subsequent khans were descended from Devlet II, except for the sons of Saadet and Selyamet and the son and grandson of Qaplan. reign (1671-1678)[edit] was appointed as the khan in 1671 while he was in retirement at 'Cholmek' near Yambol in modern in Bulgaria. It is said that he obtained the khanship by bribing vizier Kologi.[1] His kalga and nureddin were his brother Selyamet and his cousin Safa. He was immediately called to fight in the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76). Howorth[2] says that he and his two sons contributed to the capture of Kamianets-Podilskyi. He captured many prisoners in Pokutia and Volhynia but was forced to abandon them by Jan Sobieski. When the Nogais near Akkerman revolted against the Porte Selim forced them to move to Crimea, but they drifted back. 1676 the pro-Turkish Doroshenko was defeated at Chyhyryn by the Russians and forced to abdicate. In 1677 Turkish and Crimean troops were sent to re-take Chyryhin. The Russians barely won the siege, Selim received part of the blame and was removed. See Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681). He spent the winter in Kaffa and retired to Rhodes. was followed by Murad Giray and then Haci II Giray. In 1683 Murad was removed for his part in the Turkish defeat at Vienna. Haci was soon driven out by the Crimean nobles. reign (1684-1691)[edit] Turkish disaster at Vienna led to the so-called Great Turkish War (1683-1699) in which all the neighboring powers ganged up to push the Turks south. Russia’s role was to send two expeditions against Crimea (Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689). Both failed due to supply problems, but they kept Crimean troops away from the main fighting in the west. In 1688 Selim defeated some Austrians. In 1689 he was again successful near Belgrade, but his son was killed. He chose to resign the khanship and make the pilgrimage to Mecca. On his return he settled at an estate called ‘Kazikui near Silivri’. [3] was followed by Saadet III Giray who was removed after less than a year. The next khan, Safa Giray of Crimea, was replaced by Selim at Crimean request. Saadet failed the Turks militarily and Safa was accused of drunkenness, among other things, Reign (1692-1699)[edit] kalga was his son Devlet. His nureddin was Shahin, the son of his nephew Selyamet. His reign was dominated by three problems: fighting in the Balkans, raiding and fighting in Ukraine and the Russian capture of Azov. 1692 he was immediately called to fight in the Balkans. In September 1695 he was again called west and took part in the battle of Lippa or Lugos. (see de:Friedrich von Veterani) the Azov campaigns (1695–96) Peter the Great tried to capture Azov, the second campaign being successful. Russia held Azov until 1711. Crimeans raided Domanchov (1692), Poltava (1692,1693) and Pereiaslav (1694). In return the Cossacks raided Ochakov and Perekop. Following the Azov campaigns the Cossacks built forts near the mouth of the Don and Crimeans raided toward Lemburg (1697). Crimeans fought Poles at the Battle of Podhajce (1698). is not clear why Selim chose to leave the throne. He retired to an esate near Silivri. His departure roughly coincided with the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) which ended the Great Turkish War and the Treaty of Constantinople (1700) which ended Russian involvement in the same war. this time Selim suffered from gout and moved to various places near Istanbul in hope of a cure. Selim was followed by his son Devlet II Giray. Devlet was removed and replaced by his father (fourth reign) because of conflicts with his brothers and because of his provocative hostility to Russia. reign (1702–1704)[edit] 71-year old Selim appointed his sons Gazi and Qaplan as kalga and nureddin. In 1704 Selim warned the Porte of Russian expansionism, just as his son had done. He died in Bahçesaray, Crimea and was buried in the tomb of the mosque named after him (22 July 1704). He was followed by Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707) and Devlet II Giray again (1709). a war hero, Selim is also known for his talent as a poet and a musician. As a poet, he wrote the zafername (book of victories) about his victories against Russians at Perekop. During his frequent stays in İstanbul, he supported musicians like Hafız Post (1630–1694). Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Constantinople, 1675, Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, Zbarazh Castle, H R Source, Volhynia, W Ukraine
Zbarazhsk Castle; Zbarazhsk War with the Turks 1675; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Constantinople, 1675, Turkish siege Pochaev on July 20-23, 1675
Volynia, Turkish siege on July 20-23, 1675; Crimean-Nogai Raids; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Constantinople, 1675, Pochaev Icon saves Pochaev Monastery from Tartars and Turks
Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Constantinople, 1687-1691, Suleiman II, Ottoman Empire Sultan
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1687-1691, Suleiman II; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1691-1695, Ahmed II, Sultan , in prison 43 years, executed previous officials, recap Belgrade, then lost Transyl
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1691-1695, Ahmed II; II (25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642[1] – 6 February 1695) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695. 1 Early life 2 Reign 3 Family 4 References 4.1 Works cited 5 Further reading 6 External links life[edit] II was born on 25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642, the son of Sultan Ibrahim and Muazzez Sultan. On 21 October 1649, Ahmed along with his brothers Mehmed and Suleiman were circumcised. [2] the reigns of his older brothers, Ahmed was imprisoned in Kafes, and he stayed there almost 43 years. mausoleum of Ahmed II is located inside the türbe of Suleiman the Magnificent. (In the above picture, his tomb is seen side by side with Suleiman II and Suleiman the Magnificent). section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) his reign, Sultan Ahmed II devoted most of his attention to the wars against the Habsburgs and related foreign policy, governmental and economic issues. Of these, the most important were the tax reforms and the introduction of the lifelong tax farm system (malikane) (see tax farming). Following the recovery of Belgrade under his predecessor, Suleiman II, the military frontier reached a rough stalemate on the Danube, with the Habsburgs no longer able to advance south of it, and the Ottomans attempting, ultimately unsuccessfully, to regain the initiative north of it. the most important features of Ahmed's reign was his reliance on Köprülüzade FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha. Following his accession to the throne, Sultan Ahmed II confirmed Köprülüzade FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha in his office as grand vizier. In office from 1689, FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha was from the Köprülü family of grand viziers, and like most of his Köprülü predecessors in the same office, was an able administrator and military commander. Like his father Köprülü Mehmed Pasha (grand vizier 1656–61) before him, he ordered the removal and execution of dozens of corrupt state officials of the previous regime and replaced them with men loyal to himself. He overhauled the tax system by adjusting it to the capabilities of the taxpayers affected by the latest wars. He also reformed troop mobilization and increased the pool of conscripts available for the army by drafting tribesmen in the Balkans and Anatolia. In October 1690 he recaptured Belgrade, a key fortress that commanded the confluence of the rivers Danube and Sava; in Ottoman hands since 1521, the fortress had been conquered by the Habsburgs in 1688. Ä±l Mustafa Pasha's victory at Belgrade was a major military achievement that gave the Ottomans hope that the military debacles of the 1680s—which had led to the loss of Hungary and Transylvania, an Ottoman vassal principality ruled by pro-Istanbul Hungarian princes— could be reversed. However, the Ottoman success proved ephemeral. On 19 August 1691, FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Slankamen at the hands of Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden, the Habsburg commander in chief in Hungary, nicknamed “Türkenlouisâ€ (Louis the Turk) for his victories against the Ottomans. In the confrontation, recognized by contemporaries as “the bloodiest battle of the century,â€ the Ottomans suffered heavy losses: 20,000 men, including the grand vizier. With him, the sultan lost his most capable military commander and the last member of the Köprülü family, who for the previous half century had been instrumental in strengthening the Ottoman military. FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha's successors, the Ottomans suffered further defeats. In June 1692 the Habsburgs conquered Várad (Oradea, Romania), the seat of an Ottoman governor (beylerbeyi) since 1660. In 1694 they attempted to recapture Várad, but to no avail. On 12 January 1695, they surrendered the fortress of Gyula, the center of an Ottoman sanjak or subprovince since 1566. With the fall of Gyula, the only territory still in Ottoman hands in Hungary was to the east of the River Tisza and to the south of the river Maros, with its center at Temesvár. Three weeks later, on 6 February 1695, Ahmed II died in Edirne Palace. Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1695-1703, Mustafa II, Ottoman Empire Sultan
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1695-1703, Mustafa II; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Constantinople, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Alliances with France and Prussia agaiinst Russia

Constantinople, 1703-1730, Ahmed III, Ottoma Sultan, reformer
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1703-1730, Ahmed III; III (Ottoman Turkish:‎, ) (30 December 1673 – 1 July 1736) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648–87). His mother was Gülnuş Sultan, originally named Evmenia Voria, who was an ethnic Greek.[1][2][3][4][5] He was born at HacÄ±oÄŸlu PazarcÄ±k, in Dobruja. succeeded to the throne in 1703 on the abdication of his brother Mustafa II (1695–1703).[6] NevÅŸehirli Damat Ä°brahim Pasha and the Sultan's daughter, Fatma Sultan (wife of the former) directed the government from 1718 to 1730, a period referred to as the Tulip Era. first days of Ahmed III's reign passed with efforts to appease the janissaries who were completely disciplined. However, he was not effective against the janissaries who made him sultan. Çorlulu Ali Pasha, who Ahmed brought to the Grand Vizier, tried to help him in administrative matters, made new arrangements for the treasury and Sultan. He supported Ahmed in his fight with his rivals. St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius, from Epirus, encouraged martyrdom but first a monk, beheaded, d light, myrrh
Greece, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, from Ioannina Region, Epirus, Greece, furrier in C, sinful sailor, moslem traitors accused him of embracing Islam, small boat, desire for Martyrdom, Fr Gregory of Xeropotamou got in his boat, encouraged martyrdom but first become a monk, returned to old ship, beaten w iron bar, eye and teeth, urged viser to become christian, beheaded, heavenly light, sweet fragrance; Ioannina Region; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; holy New Martyr Auxentius was born in 1690 in the diocese of Vellas, part of the Metropolitan district of Ioannina in Greece. When he was a young man, he moved to Constantinople with his parents and became a furrier. he left his trade and went to work on the ships, leading a sinful life in pursuit of worldly pleasures. His Moslem coworkers turned against him and accused him of denying Christ to embrace Islam. Fearing that they would denounce him to the captain of the ship, Auxentius jumped ship and returned to Constantinople. bought a small boat and earned his living with it. He began to regret his previous conduct, and the desire for martyrdom grew within him. One day, a monk got into his boat in order to cross the water. This was Father Gregory, a monk of Xeropotamou Monastery on Mt. Athos. revealed to Father Gregory his desire to be a martyr for Christ. The wise monk praised his desire, but urged caution lest he should weaken under torture and deny Christ. He recommended that Auxentius move to a quiet place and become a monk. Heeding Father Gregory’s advice, Auxentius continued to work with his boat for a time, giving most of his money to the poor, and living as an ascetic. often prayed at the church of the Life-Giving Fountain, asking God to give him strength to become a martyr. Then he returned to his old ship, where his former shipmates began to beat him. They dragged him before the kadi, stating that he had converted to Islam, but then returned to Christianity. said, “I was, and am, an Orthodox Christian. I am prepared to suffer thousands of tortures for the sake of Christ.” furious Hagarenes began to beat Auxentius with an iron bar. He lost an eye and several teeth as a result. He remained steadfast in confessing Christ, in spite of all the tortures that were inflicted upon him, and absolutely refused to become a Moslem. Gregory went to see Auxentius in prison, and was asked to bring him Holy Communion on his next visit. The monk did this, also urging him to remain strong in the Orthodox Faith. holy martyr was brought before the vizier, who urged him to respect Islam as good and true, instead of treating it with contempt. Saint Auxentius answered that he would never abandon his faith. In fact, he even urged the vizier to become a Christian. This enraged the vizier, and he sentenced Auxentius to death. praying for all Orthodox Christians, and for the whole world, Saint Auxentius was beheaded on January 25, 1720 at 9:00 A.M. Two days later, a heavenly light was seen by Christians and Moslems, shining on the body of the martyr. sultan’s tailor, an Orthodox Christian named Michael, went to the sultan and asked for the body. Patriarch Jeremiah III accompanied the body to the Church of the Life-Giving Fountain for the funeral and burial. years later, when the saint’s relics were exhumed, a sweet fragrance came forth from them.

Constantinople, 1730-1754, Mahmud I, Ottoman, reformer deposed, Hunchback, Took over, good relations w Persia
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1730-1754 , Mahmud I ; I (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…ØÙ…ÙˆØ¯ اول‎, Turkish: I. Mahmud, 2 August 1696 – 13 December 1754), known as The Hunchback, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the Patrona Halil rebellion and he kept good relations with Mughal and Safavid Empires. life[edit] was born at Edirne Palace on 2 August 1696, the son of Mustafa II (1664–1703); his mother was Saliha Sabkati Valide Sultan. Mahmud I was the older brother of Osman III (1754–57). He developed a humped back. father Mustafa II mostly lived in Edirne. Mahmud passed his childhood in Edirne. On 18 May 1702 he started his education in Edirne. When his father deposed himself from the throne he was brought to Istanbul and locked up in Kafes where he spent 27 years of his life. [1] is not known what kind of culture he acquired during this time, since he continued to play chess, write poetry, and deal with music. In addition for childhood and youth, there were dangers, especially for the Kafes life. [1] 28 September 1730, Patrona Halil with a small group of fellow Janissaries aroused some of the citizens of Constantinople who opposed the reforms of Ahmed III.[2] Sweeping up more soldiers Halil led the riot to the TopkapÄ± Palace and demanded the death of the grand vizer, NevÅŸehirli Damat Ä°brahim Pasha and the abdication of Ahmed III. Ahmed III acceded to the demands, had Ä°brahim Pasha strangled, and agreed to his nephew, Mahmud, becoming sultan.[2] real reign began on 25 November 1730, after this incident. First of all, Istanbul was taken under strict control. Measures were taken. About two thousand suspicious people were captured, some were executed, some were exiled. [3] ’s rule[edit] I was recognized as sultan by the mutineers as well as by court officials but for some weeks after his accession the empire was in the hands of the insurgents. Halil rode with the new sultan to the Mosque of Eyüb where the ceremony of girding Mahmud I with the Sword of Osman was performed; many of the chief officers were deposed and successors to them appointed at the dictation of the bold rebel who had served in the ranks of the Janissaries and who appeared before the sultan bare-legged and in his old uniform of a common soldier. A Greek butcher, named Yanaki, had formerly given credit to Halil and had lent him money during the three days of the insurrection. Halil showed his gratitude by compelling the Divan to make Yanaki Hospodar of Moldavia. However, Yanaki never took charge of this office. Khan of the Crimea assisted the Grand Vizier, the Mufti and the Aga of the Janissaries in putting down the rebellion. On 24 November 1731, Halil was strangled by the sultan's order[2] and in his presence, after a Divan in which Halil had dictated that war be declared against Russia. His Greek friend, Yanaki, and 7,000 of those who had supported him were also put to death.[citation needed] The jealousy which the officers of the Janissaries felt towards Halil, and their readiness to aid in his destruction, facilitated the exertions of Mahmud I's supporters in putting an end to the rebellion after it had lasted over a year. Austrian ambassador, who came to Istanbul in August 1740, was given a dinner in DavudpaÅŸa. Çavuşbaşı took the ambassador and took him to his mansion prepared in BeyoÄŸlu. On the day of the Ulufe Court, he presented his name to the Sultan. Various demonstrations were held in places where welcome and farewell ceremonies were held for the ambassador from Yeniköy Pier. [4] rest of Mahmud I's reign was dominated by wars in Persia, with the collapsing Safavid dynasty and the ascendance of Nader Shah. Mahmud also faced a notable war in Europe—the Austro-Russian-Turkish War (1735-1739). I entrusted government to his viziers and spent much of his time composing poetry. of 1750[edit] fire that started at the Ayazma gate in January 1750 lasted for 19 hours. Numerous shops, houses, and mansions burned until Vefa. sultan dismissed BoynueÄŸri Abdullah Pasha and appointed Divitdar Mehmed Emin Pasha on 9 January In the second fire that broke out on 31 March 1750, Bitpazan, AbacÄ±lar, YorgancÄ±lar, YaÄŸlÄ±kcÄ±lar, Haffaflar were completely burned. The fire spread to Fingerkapi and Tatlikuyu. The sultan, with the help of the treasury, repaired the burned down and AÄŸakapÄ±sÄ±. [5] I started the construction of the CaÄŸaloÄŸlu Bath, called Yeni Hamam, in the spring of 1740 on the land of CaÄŸaloÄŸlu Palace, which covers a large Foundation houses were built on the remaining empty lands and a neighborhood was established. The benevolent sultan opened the one in the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia Mosque, the first of the three libraries it established in Istanbul, with a ceremony and made four thousand volumes. the library, Sahih-i Buharf reading of ten inhabitants every day was one of the conditions of the foundation. Mahmud also came to the Rosary Gate of Hagia Sophia several times, sat in the library and listened to the commentary of tafsir. famine, which appeared due to the heavy winter, became heavier and heavier at the end of spring. [6] with the Mughal Empire[edit] Shah's devastating campaign against the Mughal Empire, created a void in the western frontiers of Persia, which was effectively exploited by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I, who initiated the Ottoman–Persian War (1743–46), in which the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah closely cooperated with the Ottomans and their ambassador Haji Yusuf Agha, these relations between the two empires continued until Muhammad Shah's death in 1748.[7] with Safavid Empire[edit] March 1741, the ambassador of Nadir Shah from Iranian government, HacÄ± Han, came to Istanbul with three thousand people and his guards unit to prolong the peace in between them. Among his gifts were fabrics embroidered with jewels, ten elephants, and valuable weapons. HacÄ± Han was given a banquet in Fener Bahçesin. It was also a problem to pass the elephants brought by hand to Istanbul, and wide shakes were laid on the barges, and wooden curtains were laid around them so that elephants could not be scared. [8] relations of Iran and Ottoman Empire became increasingly tense, reached a new dimension in February 1743, and Shah Safi, who was one of Shah Hussein's princes and held hostage on Chios Island, was condemned and Nader Shah's inability to complete. Sailor's head of the crest, including the personality crown, was put on destar. He was sent to the Iranian border with the troops that joined him. [9] Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria"Â, Commemorated on January 21; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1754-1757, Osman III, Sultan, prisoner, peculiar, angry, modest
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1754-1757 , Osman III; III (Ottoman Turkish: 2 January 1699-“ 30 October 1757) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 to 1757.[3] III lived most of his life as a prisoner in the palace, and as a consequence, he had some behavioural peculiarities when he took the throne. Unlike previous sultans, he hated music, and banished all musicians from the palace. According to Baron de Tott, Osman III was an angry and modest type of ruler.[6] Audience of French ambassador Charles de Vergennes with Sultan Osman III in 1755. III's first activity was to choose government officials to work with. During his reign, the changes he made in high-level government duties, especially Grand Vizier, can be considered as attempts to reduce the extremely weighted role of the charitable authority in the previous sultan's era.[5] the severe storm of March 1756, an Egyptian galleon ran ashore in Kumkapa at dusk. Due to the storm, 600 passengers could not be evacuated. The sultan, who came to the shore, took all the passengers by bringing barges from the shipyard. He ordered the construction of the Lighthouse in Istanbul to prevent such incidents. [7] first procession of his enthronement was held on 14 December 1754. The historians of that time didn'™t write the events happening in the empire because of severe and freezing cold of January 1755. [8] was responsible for a firman in 1757 that preserved the Status Quo of various Holy Land sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.[9] the second year of his reign, Osman lost his mother, žehsuvar Sultan, who had been in contact with his religiousness. Afterward, the oldest prince, Mehmed, died of illness on December 22, 1756. According to various sources, the funeral of the prince, controlled by the quarry, grand vizier and sheikh al-Islam, was attended by 5,000 people. Some contemporary sources said that the prince was poisoned and killed on the initiative of Mustafa Pasha, the next sultan of the third sultan, Mustafa Pasha.[5] is noted that, in this period, provisions were sent against banditry in Anatolia and Rumelia, and especially the movements of headless beams, and that the sultan was also interested in these issues. Some measures were taken against the tribes of Bozulus and Cihanbeyli, the Armenians due to the turmoil in Iran, the bandits around Erzurum and Sivas, and the famous leader KaraosmanoŸlu Hac Mustafa. The latter was captured and executed, and his head was brought to Istanbul on 5 December 1755.[5] is famous for building Nuruosmaniye Mosque, whose construction started during the reign of Mahmud I. Nuruosmaniye Complex, also known as Osmaniye for a while, consisted of three schools, madrasahs, a factory, a library, a mausoleum, a temporary room, a mesh house, a fountain, an inn, and shops. Osman built a new neighborhood in 1755-56 where Palace and Garden was located, along with houses and shops. He also built the Ihsaniye Mosque and its masjids, both of which stand today as hsaniye.[5] III built a fountain in his name in 1755-56; it was destroyed 122 years after its construction. [10] III died on the night of 30 October 1757. In the early morning, a ceremony was held and his cousin Mustafa III was placed on the throne. The new sultan ordered Osman to be buried in the New Mosque Mausoleum, not in Nuruosmaniye. [11] Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1757-1761, Partiarch, Seraphim II, pro russian ideals, deposed, exiled to Athos
Constantinople Partiarch, 1757-1761, Seraphim II of Constantinople; II Anina (? – 7 December 1779[1]) was the Greek Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1757 until 1761. II was born in Delvinë, located in modern-day southern Albania in the late 17th century.[2] Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople on 22 July 1757 he was Metropolitan of Philippoupolis.[1] Patriarch in 1759 he introduces the feast of Saint Andrew on 30 November,[3] and in 1760 he gave the first permission to Cosmas of Aetolia to begin missionary tours in the villages of Thrace.[4] 1759 he invited Eugenios Voulgaris to head the reforms in the patriarchal academy and during his tenure in the academy influenced by Seraphim's pro-Russian ideals Voulgaris contributed to the reapproachment of the Russian Empire with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.[5][6] a consequence Seraphim II was deposed on 26 March 1761 and exiled on Mount Athos,[1] and he was replaced by the Ottoman authorities with Joannicius III. On Mount Athos, he rebuilt an old Monastic house, and dedicated it to the Saint Andrew. This house would eventually become the Skete of Saint Andrew.[7] the field of politics, he supported the Russian Empire during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 and the establishment of an Orthodox pro-Russian state in the Balkans. In 1769 he urged the Greek population to rebel against the Turks.[2] After the failure of the revolution, in 1776 he moved to Ukraine, where he died on 7 December 1779.[1] He was buried in the Mhar Monastery. Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24;

Constantinople, 1757-1774, Mustafa III, Sultan, justice, prosperity, aquaducts, a Ger, w Rus
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1757-1774, Mustafa III; III 28 January 1717-“ 21 January 1774) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-“30), and his consort MihrŸah Kadhn. He was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I (1774-“89). ascended the throne on 30 October 1757, after the death of his cousin Osman III, the son of Sultan Mustafa II.[5] of Mustafa's rule[edit] after his accession to the throne, Mustafa demonstrated a special care for justice. He took a number of measures to increase prosperity in Istanbul. He regulated coinage, built large grain stores, maintained aqueducts, and established a strict fiscal policy.[6] He traveled frequently and checked whether the laws he had enforced were followed.[7] with Prussia[edit] much admired Frederick the Great's generalship, and in 1761 established a peace treaty with Prussia. Frederick wanted an alliance against the Habsburgs, and Mustafa wanted to modernize his state and army. Mustafa preferred recruiting his officers in Berlin, rather than in Paris and London, to re-organize his army. In 1763, the two countries exchanged their diplomats for the first time.[8] War (1768-1774)[edit] article: Russo-Turkish War (1768-“1774) Rag Pasha, who remained grand vizier until 1763, pursued a peace policy towards neighboring countries. But the increasing influence of Russia over the Caucasus and its intention to control Poland created tension between the Ottomans and Russia. Rag Pasha's successor Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha also preferred to remain at peace, and Mustafa's insistence on war with Russia led to his resignation in 1768. The Sultan expected to gain an easy victory over the Russians, but in fact the Ottomans were unprepared for a long war. During the war, military reforms were undertaken, with the assistance of French officer Fransois Baron de Tott. They included the modernization of artillery corps and the foundation of the Naval Engineering School in 1773. The war was disastrous for the Ottoman Empire. The Russian armies occupied the Crimea, Romania and parts of Bulgaria.[9] Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 3; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert
Greece, Mt Athos, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; Cosmas was a monk of Saint Anne’s Skete on Mount Athos. was executed in Constantinople on December 3, 1760 when he refused to convert to Islam. specific details of his martyrdom are not known.

Constantinople, 1771, Damascene of Hilandar, igumen, sent to Svishtov, Bulgaria, to collect rent, to avoid paying Moslems framed him
Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. He left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. Over time, he was ordained deacon and priest, fulfilling various obediences in the monastery. Later he was chosen as the igumen. Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery business. One day Father Damascene was sent to Svishtov [Svištov, in Serbian], Bulgaria to collect rent from a Moslem on some property owned by the monastery. To avoid paying the debt, the man sent a Moslem woman to the room where the saint was staying. Then he and others broke in and accused Father Damascene of impropriety. If he was found guilty, he could be put to death. kadi (judge) did not believe that Father Damascene was guilty of the charges, but since the other Moslems had given false testimony against him, the judge had to find him guilty. Before taking him to be executed, he was given the choice of being put to death, or of saving his life by converting to Islam. The saint replied, “I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian; for to deny Christ is to forfeit eternal life. It would be madness if I agreed to preserve this temporary life in exchange for eternal perdition. I am sorry for you if you do not understand this.” that nothing would induce the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems brought him to the place of execution. Saint Damascene asked for some time to pray, and his request was granted. After completing his prayers he made the Sign of the Cross and told them that he was ready. The holy New Martyr Damascene was hanged at Svishtov on January 16, 1771, and received an incorruptible crown of glory from Christ. wrath of God was not slow in overtaking the evil-doers, however. After they put the saint to death they got into a boat to cross the Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.

Constantinople, 1774-1789, Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid I, Pacifist, reformed military, lost Crimea and Ochakov
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1774-1789, Abdul Hamid I; ülhamid I, Abdul Hamid I or Abd Al-Hamid I (20 March 1725 – 7 April 1789)[1] was the 27th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning over the Ottoman Empire from 1774 to 1789. 1 Early life 2 Reign 2.1 Accession 2.2 Rule 2.3 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca 2.4 Relations with Tipu Sultan 3 Architecture 4 Character 5 Family 6 Death 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links life[edit] was born on 20 March 1725 in Constantinople, a younger son of Sultan Ahmed III (reigned 1703–1730) and his consort Åžermi KadÄ±n.[3] III abdicated in favor of his nephew Mahmud I, who was succeeded by his brother Osman III, and Osman[3] by Ahmed's elder son Mustafa III. a potential heir to the throne, Abdul Hamid was imprisoned in comfort by his cousins and older brother, as was customary. This lasted until 1767. this period, he received his early education from his mother Rabia Åžermi, who taught him history and calligraphy.[3] the day of Mustafa's death on 21 January 1774 , Abdul Hamid ascended to the throne with a ceremony held in the palace. The next day Mustafa III's funeral procession was held. new sultan sent a letter to the Grand Vizier and Serdar-Ä± Ekrem Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha on the front and informed him to continue his duty. On 27 January 1774, the sword was armed in Eyup Sultan. the time, the Ottoman-Russian front wars continued, the army was at once, and there was a shortage of food in Istanbul. [4] Hamid's long imprisonment had left him indifferent to state affairs and malleable to the designs of his advisors.[citation needed] Yet he was also very religious and a pacifist by nature. his accession the financial straits of the treasury were such that the usual donative could not be given to the Janissary Corps. The new Sultan told the Janissaries "There are no longer gratuities in our treasury, as all of our soldier sons should learn." Ottoman Army advances from Sofia, its largest garrison in Rumelia, in the year 1788. Hamid now sought to reform the Empire's armed forces. He enumerated the Janissary corps and tried to renovate it, and also the navy. He established a new artillery corps. He was also credited with the creation of the Imperial Naval Engineering School.[1] Hamid tried to strengthen Ottoman rule over Syria, Egypt, and Iraq.[1] However, slight successes against rebellions in Syria and the Morea could not compensate for the loss of the Crimean Peninsula, which had become nominally independent in 1774, but was in practice now controlled by Russia. repeatedly exploited its position as protector of Eastern Christians to interfere in the Ottoman Empire, and explicitly. Finally the Ottomans declared war against Russia in 1787. Austria soon joined Russia. Turkey held its own in the conflict, at first, but on 6 December 1788, Ochakov fell to Russia (all of its inhabitants being massacred). It is said that this sad defeat broke Abdul Hamid's spirit, as he died four months later. spite of his failures, Abdul Hamid was regarded as the most gracious Ottoman Sultan.[citation needed] He personally directed the fire brigade during the Constantinople fire of 1782. He was admired by the people for his religious devotion, and was even called a Veli ("saint"). He also outlined a reform policy, supervised the government closely, and worked with statesmen. Hamid I turned to internal affairs after the war with Russia ended in this way. He tried to suppress internal revolts through Algerian Gazi Hasan Pasha, and to regulate the reform works through Silâhdar Seyyid Mehmed Pasha (Karavezir) and Halil Hamid Pasha. in Syria, the rebellion of Zahir al-Omar, who cooperated with the admirals of the Russian navy in the Mediterranean, benefiting from the confusion caused by the Russian expedition of the 1768 Russian campaign, and suppressed the rebellion in Egypt in 1775, as well as the Kölemen who were in rebellion in Egypt. was brought to the road. On the other hand, the confusion in Peloponnese was ended, and calm was achieved. Kaptanıderyâ Gazi Hasan Pasha and Cezzâr Ahmed Pasha played an important role in suppressing all these events. [5] of Küçük Kaynarca[edit] his pacific inclinations, the Ottoman Empire was forced to renew the ongoing war with Russia almost immediately. This led to complete Turkish defeat at Kozludzha and the humiliating Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, signed on 21 July 1774. The Ottomans ceded territory to Russia, and also the right to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox Christians in the Empire. the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, the territory left, as well as Russia's ambassador at Istanbul level and an authorized representative, this ambassador's participation in other ceremonies at the state ceremonies, the right to pass through the Straits to Russia, as the envoys of the Russian envoy were given immunity. Marketing opportunities for all kinds of commodities in Istanbul and other ports, as well as the full commercial rights of England and France were given. It was also in the treaty that the Russian state had a church built in Ga lata. Under the circumstances, this church would be open to the public, referred to as the Russo-Greek Church, and forever under the protection of Russian ambassadors in Istanbul. [6] with Tipu Sultan[edit] 1789, Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Sultanate of Mysore sent an embassy to Abdul Hamid, urgently requesting assistance against the British East India Company, and proposed an offensive and defensive alliance. Abdul Hamid informed the Mysori ambassadors that the Ottomans were still entangled and exhausted from the ongoing war with Russia and Austria.[citation needed] Hamid I left many architectural works, mostly in Istanbul. The most important of these is the current in Sirkeci in 1777. It is the building built by the VakÄ±f Inn. He built a fountain, an elementary school, a madrasah and a library next to this building. The books in the library are kept in the Süleymaniye Library today and the madrasah is used as a stock exchange building. During the construction of the VakÄ±f Inn, the fountain was removed by construction and the fountain was transferred to the corner of Zeynep Sultan Mosque opposite Gülhane Park. [5] addition to these works, in 1778, he built a mosque with a mosque on the beach of Beylerbeyi on behalf of Râbia Åžermi KadÄ±n, and built fountains in Çamlıca KÄ±sÄ±klÄ± Square, other than places such as Ä°skele Square, Çınarönü, HavuzbaÅŸÄ± and Car Square. In addition, he had the Beylerbeyi Mosque substantially repaired, built a mosque, a fountain and a bath and shops around Emirgi in Emirgân in 1783, and another one for Hümâşah Sultan and his son Mehmed. The fountain has been built more. In addition to these, there is a fountain next to NesliÅŸah Mosque in Istinye, and another fountain on the embankment between Dolmabahçe and KabataÅŸ. [5] wrote down the troubles he saw before, to the grand vizier or to the governor of his empire. He accepted the invitations of the and his grand vizier and went to his mansions, followed by the reading of Quran. He was humble and a religious Sultan.[7] is known that Abdul Hamid I was fond of his children, was interested in family life, spent the summer months in Karaağaç, BeÅŸiktaÅŸ with his consorts, sons and daughters. His daughter Esma Sultan's dressing styles, her passion for entertainment, her journey to the objects with her journeymen and concubines have set an example for Istanbul ladies.[8] St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1789-1807, Ottoman Sultan, Selim III, poet, musician, education, military
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1789-1807, Selim III; III (24 December 1761 – 28 July 1808) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. regarded as an enlightened ruler,[1] the Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV. Selim was subsequently killed by a group of assassins. III was the son of Sultan Mustafa III and his wife MihriÅŸah Sultan. mother MihriÅŸah Sultan originated in Georgia, and when she became the Valide Sultan, she participated in reforming the government schools and establishing political corporations. father Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III was very well educated and believed in the necessity of reforms. Mustafa III attempted to create a powerful army during the peacetime with professional, well-educated soldiers. This was primarily motivated by his fear of a Russian invasion. the Russo-Turkish War, he fell ill and died of a heart attack in 1774. Sultan Mustafa was aware of the fact that a military reform was necessary. He declared new military regulations and opened maritime and artillery academies. Mustafa was very influenced by mysticism. predicted his son Selim would be a world-conqueror, so he organized a joyous feast lasting seven days. was very well educated in the palace. Sultan Mustafa III bequeathed his son as his successor; however, Selim's uncle Abdul Hamid I ascended the throne after Mustafa's death. Sultan Abdul Hamid I took care of Selim and put great emphasis on his education. Abdul Hamid's death, Selim succeeded him on 7 April 1789, not yet 27 years old. Selim III was very fond of literature and calligraphy; many of his works were put on the walls of mosques and convents. He wrote many poems, especially about Crimea's occupation by Russia. He spoke Arabic, Persian and Serb-Bulgar fluently. III showed great importance to patriotism and religion. He demonstrated his skills in poetry, music and was fond of fine arts and the army. St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1800-1899, 19th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Balkan Revolt and Muhammad Ali of Egypt

Constantinople, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising (against the Turks)
Serbia, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1804-1813, Karageorgea's town, Topola, Karageorgea's revolt 1804-1813
Serbia, Karageorge'™s town, Topola, Karageorge's revolt 1804-1809, First Serbian Uprising against the Turks from Constantinople, 1804, Collapse 1813 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1805-1848, Ottoman Sultan Muhammad Ali, founder of modern Egypt, against Sultan after 1831
Egypt, 1805-1848, Ottoman Sultan Muhammad Ali of Egypt; Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha, also known as Muhammad Ali of Egypt and the Sudan (4 March 1769 - 2 August 1849), the Albanian Ottoman governor and the de facto ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848, who is considered the founder of modern Egypt. At the height of his rule, he controlled Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Sudan and parts of Arabia and the entire Levant. was a military commander in an Albanian Ottoman force sent to recover Egypt from a French occupation under Napoleon. Following Napoleon's withdrawal, Muhammad Ali rose to power through a series of political maneuvers, and in 1805 he was named Wāli (viceroy) of Egypt and gained the rank of Pasha. Wāli, Muhammad Ali attempted to modernize Egypt by instituting dramatic reforms in the military, economic and cultural spheres. He also initiated a violent purge of the Mamluks, consolidating his rule and permanently ending the Mamluk hold over Egypt. Muhammad Ali recaptured the Arabian territories for the sultan, and conquered Sudan on his own accord. His attempt at suppressing the Greek rebellion failed decisively, however, following an intervention by the European powers at Navarino. 1831, Muhammad Ali waged war against the sultan, capturing Syria, crossing into Anatolia and directly threatening Constantinople, the European powers forced him to retreat. After a failed Ottoman invasion of Syria in 1839, he launched another invasion of the Ottoman Empire in 1840; he defeated the Ottomans again and opened the way towards a capture of Constantinople. Faced with another European intervention, he accepted a brokered peace in 1842 and withdrew from the Levant; in return, he and his descendants were granted hereditary rule over Egypt and Sudan. The dynasty he established would rule Egypt until the revolution of 1952 when King Farouk was overthrown by Mohamed Naguib when he succeeded him as the president of Egypt. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Constantinople, 1808-1839, Ottoman, Sultan Mahmud II, westernztn, reforms, admin, military, fiscal, revolts
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1808-1839, Mahmud II ; II (20 July 1785 - 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms he instituted, which culminated in the Decree of Tanzimat ("reorganization") that was carried out by his sons Abdulmejid I and Abdülaziz. described as "Peter the Great of Turkey",[1] Mahmud's reforms included the 1826 abolition of the conservative Janissary corps, which removed a major obstacle to his and his successors' reforms in the Empire. reforms he instituted were characterized by political and social changes, which would eventually lead to the birth of the modern Turkish Republic.[2] II is the last sultan who used his political (non-judgmental) execution authority.[clarification needed] his domestic reforms, Mahmud's reign was also marked by nationalist uprisings in Ottoman-ruled Serbia and Greece, leading to significant loss of territory for the Empire following the emergence of an independent Greek state. the general structure of the Ottoman Empire, Mahmud's reign was characterized by showing major interest to Westernization; institutions, palace order, daily life, clothing, music and many other areas saw radical reform as the Ottoman Empire opened up to the modernisation.[3] Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; New Martyr John of Crete, Commemorated September 15 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17; Icon of the Mother of God œTinosÂ, Commemorated on January 30; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on January 31; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated on February 17; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1811-1813, President, Karadorde, Black George, Orthodox, with Ottomans, then against, Jihad, k by rival
Serbia, President, 1811-1813, Karadorde; Karadorde (16 November [O.S. 3 November] 1768 - 26 July [O.S. 14 July] 1817), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independence from the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising of 1804-“1813. Born into an impoverished family in the Sumadija region of Ottoman Serbia, Karadorde distinguished himself during the Austro-Turkish War of 1788-“1791 as a member of the Serbian Free Corps, a militia of Habsburg and Ottoman Serbs, armed and trained by the Austrians. Fearing retribution following the Austrians' and Serb rebels' defeat in 1791, he and his family fled to the Austrian Empire, where they lived until 1794, when a general amnesty was declared. Karadorde subsequently returned to Sumadija and became a livestock merchant. In 1796, the rogue governor of the Sanjak of Vidin, Osman PazvantogŸlu, invaded the Pashalik of Belgrade, and Karadorde fought alongside the Ottomans to quash the incursion. In early 1804, following a massacre of Serb chieftains by renegade Ottoman janissaries known as Dahis, the Serbs of the Pashalik rebelled. Karadorde was unanimously elected to lead the uprising against the Dahis at an assembly of surviving chiefs in February 1804. Within six months, most of the Dahi leaders had been captured and executed by Karadordee's forces, and by 1805, the final remnants of Dahi resistance had been crushed. Karadorde and his followers demanded far-reaching autonomy, which Sultan Selim interpreted as but the first step towards complete independence. Selim promptly declared jihad against the rebels and ordered an army to march into the Pashalik. The Ottomans suffered a string of defeats at the hands of Karadorde's forces. By 1806, the rebels had captured all the major towns in the Pashalik, including Belgrade and Smederevo, and expelled their Muslim inhabitants. Burdened by the demands of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1806-“1812, Selim offered the Serbs extensive autonomy, but Karadorde refused in light of Russia's avowal to aid the rebels should they continue fighting. Frequent infighting, together with Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, weakened the rebels, and the Ottomans were able to reverse many of their gains. Karadorde was forced to flee Serbia in October 1813 and Belgrade fell later that month, bringing the First Serbian Uprising to a close. He and his followers sought refuge in the Austrian Empire, but were arrested and detained. Despite Ottoman requests for his extradition, the Austrians handed Karadorde over to the Russians, who offered him refuge in Bessarabia. There, he joined the Greek secret society known as Filiki Eteria, which planned to launch a pan-Balkan uprising against the Ottomans. Karadorde returned to Serbia in secret in July 1817, but was killed shortly thereafter by agents of Milos Obrenovic, a rival rebel leader, who was concerned that Karadorde's reappearance would cause the Ottomans to renege on the concessions that they had agreed to following the Second Serbian Uprising of 1815. Karadorde is considered the founder of the Karadorde dynasty, which ruled Serbia in several intervals during the 19th and 20th centuries. His murder resulted in a violent, decades-long feud between his descendants and those of Obrenovic, with the Serbian throne changing hands several times. New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1814, Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814
Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Serbia, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814 ; Gligorijevic, known simply as Hadj-Prodan (1760 -1825) was a Serbian voivode (military commander) in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian Revolution, then the Greek War of Independence, against the Ottoman Empire. He led an unsuccessful rebellion in 1814, dubbedHadj-Prodan's Revolt. Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, to be impaled, sooner I die the fewer sins
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius. St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814.

Constantinople, 1814-1815, Paisius, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, impaled, Igumen Trnava monastery
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814. Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius.

Constantinople, 1821-1839, Ottoman Empire, Greek War of Independence
Ottoman, Greek War of Independence, 1821-1839; Icon of the Mother of God, œTinos, Commemorated on January 30; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on January 31;

Constantinople, 1823, Tinos Icon, Tinos Island, Cyclades, MOG appeared 1821, dig in field to find my icon, build a church there
Greece, 1823, Tinos Icon, Tinos Island, Cyclades (Agean Sea), MOG appeared to man 1821, dig in field to find my icon, build a church there, with my help, divine light, found bricks not for oven, Pelagia's dreams 1822, to uncover the church, be obedient, Mr. Kangades, excavations, church discovered, money ran out, 1823 Matsos found annunciation icon, holiest treasurers, Healing and deliverance; Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God Tinos, Commemorated January 30 ; highly-venerated icon of the Annunciation was discovered in the ruins of the ancient church of Saint John the Baptist on January 30, 1823. elderly man, Michael Polyzoes, had a dream shortly before the Feast of the Annunciation in 1821, in which the Mother of God appeared to him in shining white garments. She instructed him to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras outside the city, where he would find her icon. She also told him to build a church on the site, since there had once been one there. The Queen of Heaven also promised to help him accomplish these tasks. awakening, he crossed himself and tried to go back to sleep, believing that his dream had been a temptation from the devil. Before falling asleep, Michael saw the Theotokos once again, and noticed that the room was flooded by a gentle white light. Her head was surrounded by divine light, and her face displayed ineffable grace and sweetness. Speaking to the old man she said, “Why are you afraid? Your fear comes from unbelief. Listen! I am Panagia (the all-holy one). I want you to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras where my icon is buried. I ask you to do this as a favor, old man. You will build a church there and I will help you.” Then she disappeared. next morning, Michael went into the village and told the priest what had happened to him during the night. priest also thought the dream was a temptation, so he urged Michael to come for Confession and Communion. The old man, however, was not convinced that his visions were mere dreams or demonic temptations. He told the inhabitants of the village of his experience. Some laughed at him, but only two believed his words. two men went with him to the field one night and dug in many places, but they found nothing. Then they dug in another place and found the remains of an old wall. Finding nothing but bricks, they had to give up their search in the morning so the Turks would not find out what they were doing. Doxaras, the owner of the field, found the bricks and tried to use them to build an oven. The mortar would not adhere to the bricks, so whenever they tried to build one section of the oven, it collapsed. The workers were convinced that God was showing them that the bricks from the ancient church were not to be used for an oven. Pelagia (July 23), an eighty-year-old nun, had several dreams in June of 1822 in which the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her. Saint Pelagia was living in the women’s monastery of the Dormition on Mt. Kechrovounios, about an hour’s journey from the village. She had lived in the monastery from a young age, and was known for her great virtue and piety. Theotokos appeared to her in a dream and ordered her to go to Stamatelos Kangades (a prominent man of the village), and tell him to uncover the church of Saint John the Baptist in the field of Anthony Doxaras. by the vision, Pelagia attributed the dream to her imagination, and she began to pray. She was afraid to tell anyone about her dream, but the following week, the Theotokos appeared to her again, reminding her of her instructions. Still, the nun remained silent and told no one of her vision. The Theotokos appeared a third time, this time with a severe manner. She chastised the nun for her unbelief, saying, “Go and do as I told you. Be obedient.” Pelagia woke up in fear and trembling. As she opened her eyes, she saw the same mysterious Woman she had seen while asleep. With a great effort she asked, “Who are you, Lady? Why are you angry with me, and why do you order me to do these things?” Woman raised her hand and said, “Proclaim, O earth, glad tidings of great joy” (Megalynarion of the Ninth Ode of the Canon for Matins of the Annunciation). at last, the aged nun joyfully exclaimed, “Praise, O heavens, the glory of God” (The next line of the Megalynarion). once, she informed the Abbess of her visions, and she also told Stamatelos Kangades. Mr. Kangades, who had been designated by the Theotokos to carry out the excavation of the church, informed Bishop Gabriel of these events. The bishop had already heard of the dream of Michael Polyzoes, and realized that the account of the nun Pelagia agreed with his vision. Bishop Gabriel wrote to all the churches on the island of Tinos, urging them to cooperate in finding the church and the icon. began in September of 1822 under the supervision of Mr. Kangades. The foundations of the church of Saint John, destroyed by Arabs in 1200, were uncovered. An old well was found near the church, but not the holy icon. The money ran out, and so the effort was abandoned. again the Mother of God appeared to Saint Pelagia, urging that the excavations continue. Bishop Gabriel sent out an appeal for donations to build a new church on the foundations of the old church of Saint John the Baptist. The new church was built, and was dedicated to Saint John and to the Life-Giving Fountain. January 30, 1823 workers were leveling the ground inside the church in preparation for laying a new stone floor. About noon one of the workers, Emmanuel Matsos, struck a piece of wood with his pickaxe, splitting it down the middle. He looked at one piece of the board and saw that it was burned on one side, while the other side showed traces of paint. As he brushed off the dirt with his hand, he saw that it was an icon. Joining the two pieces of wood together, he crossed himself and venerated the icon. called the other workers, who also came and venerated the icon. When the icon was cleaned, it was shown to be an icon of the Annunciation. The split was in the middle of the icon, between the Theotokos and the Archangel Gabriel. Neither figure was damaged, and this was regarded as a miracle. same day, the icon was given to Bishop Gabriel, who kissed it and cried out, “Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works.” the finding of the icon, the inabitants of Tinos were filled with zeal to build a magnificent church in honor of the Theotokos. People offered their money and their own labor to help build the church of the Evangelistria (She who received the Good News). new church was completed in 1823, and was consecrated by Bishop Gabriel. Saint Pelagia of Tinos fell asleep in the Lord on April 28, 1834. Her Feast Day, however, is on July 23. Tinos Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos continues to be venerated as one of Greece’s holiest treasures. Innumerable miracles of healing and deliverance from danger have not ceased since the time the icon was found.

Constantinople, 1823, Saint Pelagia of Tinos, her dream found Tinos Icon
Greece, 1823, Saint Pelagia of Tinos Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God "Tinos", Commemorated January 30 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Constantinople, 1839-1861, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdulmecid I, rise of nationalism, non-muslim integration failed
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1839-1861, Abdulmecid I ; I (25 April 1823-25 June 1861), was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839.[4] reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories. Abdulmejid wanted to encourage Ottomanism among secessionist subject nations and stop rising nationalist movements within the empire, but despite new laws and reforms to integrate non-Muslims and non-Turks more thoroughly into Ottoman society, his efforts failed. tried to forge alliances with the major powers of Western Europe, namely the United Kingdom and France, who fought alongside the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War against Russia. In the following Congress of Paris on 30 March 1856, the Ottoman Empire was officially included among the European family of nations. biggest achievement was the announcement and application of the Tanzimat (reorganization) reforms which were prepared by his father and effectively started the modernization of the Ottoman Empire in 1839. For this achievement, one of the Imperial anthems of the Ottoman Empire, the March of Abdulmejid, was named after him. Icon of the Mother of God the œDeliveress"Â, Commemorated on October 17 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated on January 10; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated on January 12; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Constantinople, 1861-1876, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdulaziz, admired West, Composer, Deposed and Killed
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1861-1876, Abdulaziz of the Ottoman Empire; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Constantinople, 1876-1876, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Murad V, admired West, so deposed, mentally ill
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1876-1876, Murad V ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Constantinople, 1876-1909, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, rebellions, period of decline
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1876-1909, Abdul Hamid II ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œTikhvin on Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 17; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Constantinople, 1900-1922, 20th Century Folder, Ottoman E. Ends in WWI

Constantinople, 1909-1918, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmed V
Sultan Ottoman Empire, 1909-1918, Mehmed V ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ;

Constantinople, Sea of Marmora Folder

Sea of Marmora, Constantinople
Sea of Marmora; Translation of the Image "Not-Made-By-Hands" of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "Feast of the Savior in August" ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Prokonnesos Island, Sea of Marmora
Prokonnesos Island; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13;

Aphousia Island, Sea of Marmora
Aphousia; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Akrita, Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora)
Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora), this cape chosen as Akrita by process of elimination (the others are too close to Constantinople and Nicaea). St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ;

Alona Island (an Island not far from Cyzicus)
Alona Island (an Island not far from Cyzicus); Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21;

Kyzikos (Sea of Marmara, between Constantinople and Troy)
Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara); Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest. St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 20 ; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ;

Cyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople)
Cyzicus St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, January 8 ; Martyr Tryphaina at Cyzicus, Commemorated January 31; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, Southwest Side, Studion Monastery Folder

Studion Monastery, Constantinople, 462
The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated December 29 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe Ladder, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Peribleptos monastery, Constantinople
Peribleptos monastery; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15;

Constantinople, Northwest Side, Blachernae Folder

Blachernae church, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead. Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church, and with choirs of Saints she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and Bishops venerate Her, Apostles and prophets rejoice together, Since for our sake she prays to the Eternal God!” miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where her robe, veil, and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine in the fifth century. Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, when the church was overflowing with those at prayer, the Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew (October 2), at the fourth hour, lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. Saint John the Baptist and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven. On bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. Then, coming near the Bishop’s Throne, she continued her prayer. completing her prayer she took her veil and spread it over the people praying in church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible. The Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, and the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.” Saint Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and he asked his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?” Epiphanius answered, “I do see, holy Father, and I am in awe.” Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, and to respond speedily to her intercession, “O Heavenly King, accept all those who pray to You and call on my name for help. Do not let them go away from my icon unheard.” Andrew and Epiphanius were worthy to see the Mother of God at prayer, and “for a long time observed the Protecting Veil spread over the people and shining with flashes of glory. As long as the Most Holy Theotokos was there, the Protecting Veil was also visible, but with her departure it also became invisible. After taking it with her, she left behind the grace of her visitation.” the Blachernae church, the memory of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God was remembered. In the fourteenth century, the Russian pilgrim and clerk Alexander, saw in the church an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos praying for the world, depicting Saint Andrew in contemplation of her. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor reflects that the protective intercession of the Mother of God was needed because an attack of a large pagan Russian fleet under the leadership of Askole and Dir. The feast celebrates the divine destruction of the fleet which threatened Constantinople itself, sometime in the years 864-867 or according to the Russian historian Vasiliev, on June 18, 860. Ironically, this Feast is considered important by the Slavic Churches but not by the Greeks. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor also notes the miraculous deliverance followed an all-night Vigil and the dipping of the garment of the Mother of God into the waters of the sea at the Blachernae church, but does not mention Saints Andrew and Epiphanius and their vision of the Mother of God at prayer. These latter elements, and the beginnings of the celebrating of the Feast of the Protection, seem to postdate Saint Nestor and the Chronicle. A further historical complication might be noted under (October 2) dating Saint Andrew’s death to the year 936. year of death might not be quite reliable, or the assertion that he survived to a ripe old age after the vision of his youth, or that his vision involved some later pagan Russian raid which met with the same fate. The suggestion that Saint Andrew was a Slav (or a Scythian according to other sources, such as S. V. Bulgakov) is interesting, but not necessarily accurate. The extent of Slavic expansion and repopulation into Greece is the topic of scholarly disputes. the PROLOGUE, a Russian book of the twelfth century, a description of the establishment of the special Feast marking this event states, “For when we heard, we realized how wondrous and merciful was the vision... and it transpired that Your holy Protection should not remain without festal celebration, O Ever-Blessed One!” in the festal celebration of the Protection of the Mother of God, the Russian Church sings, “With the choirs of the Angels, O Sovereign Lady, with the venerable and glorious prophets, with the First-Ranked Apostles and with the Hieromartyrs and Hierarchs, pray for us sinners, glorifying the Feast of your Protection in the Russian Land.” Moreover, it would seem that Saint Andrew, contemplating the miraculous vision was a Slav, was taken captive, and became the slave of the local inhabitant of Constantinople named Theognostus. in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God began to appear in Russia in the twelfth century. Widely known for its architectural merit is the temple of the Protection at Nerl, which was built in the year 1165 by holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky. The efforts of this holy prince also established in the Russian Church the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, about the year 1164. Novgorod in the twelfth century there was a monastery of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (the so-called Zverin monastery) In Moscow also under Tsar Ivan the Terrible the cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God was built at the church of the Holy Trinity (known as the church of Saint Basil the Blessed). the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos we implore the defense and assistance of the Queen of Heaven, “Remember us in your prayers, O Lady Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope, and venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you.” Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Anastasia Gate
Anastasia Gate; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29;

Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœDirectressÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSweet-SingerÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Church of the Holy Theotokos of Blachernae, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-Singer, Commemorated on October 1 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Prison of Anemas, Blachernae, Constantinople
Prison of Anemas, Blachernae, Constantinople; Prison of Anemas is a large Byzantine building attached to the walls of the city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). is traditionally identified with the prisons named after Michael Anemas, a Byzantine general who rose in unsuccessful revolt against Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) and was the first person to be imprisoned there. prison features prominently in the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire, when four Byzantine emperors were imprisoned there. Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Holy Martyr John the Soldier served in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). He was sent with other soldiers to find and kill Christians. Although he seemed to persecute them, Saint John was actually a secret Christian, and provided much help to his fellow Christians. He freed those who had been arrested, warned others of the dangers which threatened them, and helped them to escape. Saint John displayed charity not only to Christians, but to all the destitute, and to those who needed help. He visited the sick, and consoled the grieving. When Emperor Julian the Apostate learned of the Saint's activities he arrested him and sent him to a prison in Constantinople. the year 363 the wicked Emperor who had denied Christ was killed in a war with the Persians. Saint John was set free and devoted his life to serving his neighbor, and living a life of holiness and purity. He reposed at an advanced age, but the exact year of his death is not known. time, Saint John's tomb was gradually forgotten. One day he appeared to a certain devout woman and revealed to her the details of his life. He also showed her the location of his tomb, and this became known throughout the region. His holy relics, which had the power to heal various ailments, were transferred to the church of the Apostle John the Theologian at Constantinople. Through the prayers of Saint John the Soldier, those who suffer grief and sorrow receive comfort. the Russian Orthodox Church, Saint John is revered as the protector of soldiers, and a great intercessor for those who experience sorrow and difficult circumstances. He is also invoked for the recovery of stolen articles and fugitive slaves. iconography, Saint John is usually depicted as a middle-aged man with light brown (or dark) hair, a high forehead, and a short beard. He is dressed in armor and a cloak. In some icons he may hold a cross, a scroll, or military weapons, while in others he is shown in patrician clothing, wearing a cloak over a long chiton. John the Soldier is commemorated on July 29 in Greek usage, and on July 30 in Slavic usage.

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

Blachernae Palace, Constantinople, 500, Emperor's main residence from late 11th century
Blachernae Palace ; Palace of Blachernae [1] was an imperial Byzantine residence in the suburb of Blachernae, located in the northwestern section of Constantinople (today located in the quarter of Ayvansaray in Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey). The area of the palace is now mostly overbuilt, and only literary sources are available as to its description. Palace of Blachernae was constructed on the northern slopes of the Sixth Hill of the city in circa 500.[2] The hill itself was partially remodelled, particularly in later times, and a number of terraces created to support the various buildings comprising the palace complex.[3] Although the main imperial residence during the 4th–11th centuries was the Great Palace at the eastern end of the city, the Blachernae palace was used at times, and is attested in the ceremonial protocols contained in the 10th-century De Ceremoniis, or Explanation of the Order of the Palace, Chapters I.27, I.34, II.9, II.12) of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (r. 913–959).[2] that time, it included several structures: the hall (triklinos) of Anastasius or Anastasiakos (Î¤ÏÎ¯ÎºÎ»Î¹Î½Î¿Ï‚ á¼ˆÎ½Î±ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¹Î±ÎºÏŒÏ‚), named after Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) who built it, the hall of the Ocean or Okeanos, the portico of Joseph or Iosephiakos, and the hall of the Danube or Danoubios. The latter communicated with the nearby shrine of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Mary of Blachernae through a series of staircases.[1][2] was here that in the late 11th century the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) moved his main residence, and he and his grandson Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180) undertook great works there, fortifying the palace precinct and erecting new halls.[2] Manuel I, in particular, is credited with the construction of an elaborate outer wall,[4] and of several splendid new halls, such as the Hall of Irene (named after Empress Irene of Hungary) and the Polytimos Oikos ("Valuable House"). this time the palace complex became known as the "New Palace".[5] Among the structures of the time, only the so-called Prison of Anemas, which formed part of the palace's substructure, still survives.[6] After the Fourth Crusade, the Latin emperors favoured the Bucoleon Palace, but on the recapture of the city in 1261, the Palaiologan emperors restored the Blachernae complex as their principal residence.[2][7] Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, probably dating to the late 13th century, although a bit further south than the main Blachernae palace complex, is usually related to it. It is the only relatively intact example of Byzantine palace architecture in Constantinople.[8] Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Chora Church and monastery, Blachernae, Constantinople
Chora monastery in Constantinople; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12;

Patriarchal Academy, Constantinople, near Blachernae, 1454
Patriarchal Academy; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Cosmos and Damian Monastery (Kosmidion, Blachernae) 450 approx
Cosmos and Damian Monastery (Kosmidion); St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24;

Pammakaristos Church and monastery, Center of Greek Orthodox Christiantiy during Ottoman Empire, Blachernae, 1071
Pammakaristos Church;

Constantinople, Phanar Golden Horn Greek Quarter Folder

Phanar, Constantinople (Neighborhood on Golden Horn, Greek Quarter)
Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Phanariots, members of prominent Greek families in Phanar, Wallacian Rulers (Romania and Moldovia)
Phanariots, members of prominent Greek families in Phanar; Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Phanar Greek Orthodox College, Constantinople
Phanar Greek Orthodox College, Constantinople; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ;

Patriarchal Academy, Constantinople, Phanar Greek Neighborhood, 1454
Patriarchal Academy; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Pantocrator Church and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, Greek Quarter, 1118
Pantocrator monastery in Constantinople ; The Holy Empress Irene, tonsured Xenia; Repose of Saint Stephen of Decani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ;

Hesychius Church and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, Greek Quarter, 1118
Pantocrator monastery in Constantinople ; The Holy Empress Irene, tonsured Xenia; Repose of Saint Stephen of Decani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ;

Dalmatian Monastery (Probably at Church of the Holy Apostles, Phanar, 330)
Dalmatian Monastery (Probably at Church of the Holy Apostles); Isaac of Dalmatia, founder of the Dalmatus Monastery, not from Dalmatia; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6 ;

Church of the Holy Apostles, and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, 330
Church of the Holy Apostles; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated October 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13;

Church of St. Polyeuctus, Constantinople, 524
Church of St. Polyeuctus; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Constantinople, Galata, North Shore of Golden Horn Folder

Golden Horn (waters that define northern boundary of the penninsula)
Golden Horn; Golden Horn is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the Golden Horn help define the northern boundary of the peninsula constituting "Old Istanbul" (ancient Byzantium and Constantinople), the tip of which is the promontory of Sarayburnu, or Seraglio Point. This estuarial inlet geographically separates the historic center of Istanbul from the rest of the city, and forms a horn-shaped, sheltered harbor that in the course of history has protected Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other maritime trade ships for thousands[1] of years. the reference to a "horn" is understood to refer to the inlet's aerial silhouette, the significance of the designation "golden" remains more obscure, with historians believing it to refer to either the riches brought into the city through the bustling historic harbor located along its shores, or to romantic artistic interpretations of the rich yellow light blazing upon the estuary's waters as the sun sets over the city. Its Greek and English names mean the same, while its Turkish name, Haliç, simply means "estuary", and derives from the Arabic word khaleej, meaning "gulf". its history, the Golden Horn has witnessed many tumultuous historical incidents, and has been depicted in numerous works of art. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; “Unbreakable (or “Indestructibleâ€) Wallâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints. It is an XI century mosaic icon of the Blachernae type, above the main altar of Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral. The Mother of God is depicted against a golden background, standing with upraised hands on a quadrangular gold platform. some Icons of this type [but not in the mosaic Icon], Christ is depicted within a mandorla, an oval or circle, symbolizing the glory of Heaven, or the Divine Light. Icon is called the "Unbreakable Wall" because for ten centuries it has remained intact, in spite of the fact that both Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral and the city have been damaged several times. An ancient description of this Icon has been preserved: "A gigantic full-length portrait of the Theotokos.... She stands upon a gold stone, as an unshakable foundation for all who resort to her protection. Her chiton is blue, and she wears a scarlet belt. Hanging from it is an embroidered cloth with which she wipes away so many tears. are several possible sources for this Icon's title: The Prophet-King David wrote "God is in the midst of her (i. e. the city of God); she shall not be moved: God shall help her with his countenance" (Psalm 45/46:5). "Thus the Lord showed me; and behold, he stood upon a wall of adamant..." (Amos 7:7, LXX). The Akathist to the Mother of God, Ikos 12. "Rejoice, indestructible wall of kingdoms" - Ikos XII). According to Kievan tradition, the wall of the church will not perish while the hands of the Mother of God are extended over it.

Galata, Constantinople (north shore of Golden Horn)
Galata (north shore of the Golden Horn Harbor on the outskirts of Constantinople ; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Galata Tower, Constantinople
Galata Tower, Constantinople; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Galatea, Constantinople (north shore of the Golden Horn)
Galatea (Constantinople); Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Constantinople, Downtown Folder, Byzantium, Hagia Sophia, Imperial Palace, Sultan's Palace

Byzantium (downtown Constantinople)
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31;

Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman Yaakosku kapasa)
Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman Yalkosku kap); Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ;

Topkap Palace (Sultans Residence, Ottoman Empire, 1465-1856)
Topkap Palace (Sultans Residence, Ottoman Empire, 1465-1856);

Armatia Monastery, 491, Armatian Icon, deliverance from iconoclast heresy 787
Armatian monestary is somewhere in Constantinople. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17 ; Armatia Icon of the Mother of God was in Constantinople at the Armatian monastery. The place where the monastery was located, was called “Armation” or “of the Armatians” and received its name from the military magister Armatias, nephew of the tyrant Basiliscus, and a contemporary of the emperor Zeno (474-491). celebration of the wonderworking icon was established to commemorate deliverance from the Iconoclast heresy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 drew up dogmatic definitions about icon veneration based on Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. Armatia Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated twice during the year, on July 21 and August 17.

Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330 - 1081, Emperor's Residence
Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Great Palace of Constantinople (Greek: ; Latin: Palatium Magnum, Turkish: Bak Saray), also known as the Sacred Palace (Greek:; Latin: Sacrum Palatium), was the large Imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula now known as Old Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), in modern Turkey. It served as the main royal residence of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine emperors until 1081 and was the centre of imperial administration for over 690 years. Only a few remnants and fragments of its foundations have survived into the present day. Saint Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9;

Daphne Palace, Constantinople, 568
Daphne Palace, Constantinople, 568; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9 and November 25;

Daphne Monastery of St Phocus, Constantinople, 568
Daphne Palace, Constantinople, 568; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9 and November 25;

Chalke (entrance to the Imperial Palace)
Chalke; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19;

Mangana Monastery, Constantinople, 1050
Mangana Monastery; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6;

Santa Sophia Cathedral, Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Saviorin August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Savior" Â in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Hagia Sophia, Patriarch's house, Downtown Constantinople
Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople's Chalcoprateia district Church, 100 meters west of Hagia Sophia
Constantinople's Chalcoprateia district Church, 100 meters west of Hagia Sophia; Hagia Sophia; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31;

Pantocrator Monastery (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Christ Pantocrator; Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeasts of the SaviorÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSweet-SingerÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Hagia Eirene, church of Hagia Eirene, Constantinople
Hagia Eirene; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated November 6 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ;

Sublime Porte
Sublime Porte; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Ottoman Porte (Ottoman central government)
Ottoman Porte; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, Walls of Constantinople
Walls of Constantinople, Golden Horn Wall: The wall facing towards the Golden Horn; Gate of Eugenius: the last gate of the Golden Horn wall was the Gate of Eugenius;; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ;

Constantinople, Gate of Eugenius: the last gate of the Golden Horn wall
Walls of Constantinople, Golden Horn Wall: The wall facing towards the Golden Horn; Gate of Eugenius: the last gate of the Golden Horn wall was the Gate of Eugenius;; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ;

monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (Little Hagia Sophia)
monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (Little Hagia Sophia); Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23;

Armatia Monastery
Armatian monestary is somewhere in Constantinople. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17 ;

Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, 1455
Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26;

Chrysovolantou Monastery, Constantinople (somewhere in Constantinople), Saint Irene
monastery Chrysovolantou; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Irene was the daughter of a wealthy family from Cappadocia, and was born in the ninth century. the death of her husband Theophilus, the empress Theodora ruled the Byzantine Empire as regent for her young son Michael. Saint Theodora (February 11) helped to defeat the iconoclast heresy, and to restore the holy icons. We commemorate this Triumph of O rthodoxy on the first Sunday of Great Lent. Michael was twelve years of age, Saint Theodora sent messengers throughout the Empire to find a suitably virtuous and refined girl to be his wife. Saint Irene was chosen, and she agreed to the marriage. While passing Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor, Irene asked to stop so she could receive the blessing of Saint Joannicius (November 4), who lived on the mountain. The saint, who showed himself only to the most worthy pilgrims, foresaw the arrival of Saint Irene, and also her future life. holy ascetic welcomed her and told her to proceed to Constantinople, where the women’s monastery of Chrysovalantou had need of her. Amazed at his clairvoyance, Irene fell to the ground and asked Saint Joannicius for his blessing. After blessing her and giving her spiritual counsel, he sent her on her way. the party arrived in Constantinople, Irene’s relatives met her with great ceremony. Since “the steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord” (Ps. 36/37:23), God arranged for Michael to marry another girl a few days before, so that Irene might be free to become a bride of Christ. Far from being disappointed, Irene rejoiced at this turn of events. the words of Saint Joannicius, Irene visited the Monastery of Chrysovalantou. She was so impressed by the nuns and their way of life that she freed her slaves and distributed her wealth to the poor. She exchanged her fine clothing for the simple garb of a nun, and served the sisters with great humility and obedience. The abbess was impressed with the way that Irene performed the most menial and disagreeable tasks without complaint. Irene often read the Lives of the Saints in her cell, imitating their virtues to the best of her ability. She often stood in prayer all night with her hands raised like Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 17:11-13). Saint Irene spent the next few years in spiritual struggles defeating the assaults of the demons, and bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). the abbess sensed the approach of death, she told the other nuns that they should not accept anyone but Irene as the new abbess. Irene was not told of the abbess’s instructions, and when she died the community sent representatives to go and seek the advice of the patriarch, Saint Methodius (June 14). He asked them whom they wanted as their superior. They replied that they believed he would be guided by the Holy Spirit. Without knowing of the late abbess’s instructions to the nuns, he asked if there was a humble nun by the name of Irene in their monastery. If so, he said, they should choose her. The nuns rejoiced and gave thanks to God. Saint Methodius elevated Irene to the rank of abbess and advised her how to guide those in her charge. to the monastery, Irene prayed that God would help her to care for those under her, and redoubled her own spiritual efforts. She displayed great wisdom in leading the nuns, and received many revelations from God to assist her in carrying out her duties. She also asked for the gift of clairvoyance so that she would know what trials awaited her nuns. Thus, she was in a better position to give them the proper advice. She never used this knowledge to embarrass others, but only to correct their confessions in a way which let them know that she possessed certain spiritual gifts. Saint Irene performed many miracles during her life, let us mention only one. On great Feasts it was her habit to keep vigil in the monastery courtyard under the starry skies. Once, a nun who was unable to sleep left her cell and went into the courtyard. There she saw Abbess Irene levitating a few feet above the ground, completely absorbed in prayer. The astonished nun also noticed that two cypress trees had bowed their heads to the ground, as if in homage. When she finished praying, Irene blessed the trees and they returned to their upright position. that this might be a temptation from the demons, the nun returned the next night to see if she had been mistaken. Again she saw Irene levitating as she prayed, and the cypress trees bowing down. The nun tied handkerchiefs to the tops of the two trees before they went back to their places. When the other sisters saw the handkerchiefs atop the trees, they began to wonder who had put them there. Then the nun who had witnessed these strange events revealed to the others what she had seen. When Saint Irene learned that the nun had witnessed the miracle and told the others, she was very upset. She warned them not to speak of it to anyone until after her death. Irene observed the Feast of Saint Basil (January 1) with great devotion, since he also came from Cappadocia. One year, after celebrating the feast, Saint Irene heard a voice during the night telling her to welcome the sailor who would come to the door the next day. She was told to rejoice and eat the fruit which the sailor would bring her. During Matins, a sailor did come to the door and remained in church until after Liturgy. He told her that he had come from Patmos, where he boarded a ship. As the ship set sail, he noticed an old man on the shore calling for them to stop. In spite of a good wind, the ship came to a sudden halt. Then the old man walked across the water and entered the ship. He gave the sailor three apples which God was sending to the patriarch “from His beloved disciple John.” Then the old man gave the sailor three more apples for the abbess of Chrysovalantou. He told the sailor that if Irene ate the apples, all that her soul desired would be granted, “for this gift comes from John in Paradise.” Irene fasted for a week, giving thanks to God for this wonderful gift. For forty days, she ate small pieces of the first apple every day. During this time she had nothing else to eat or drink. On Holy Thursday, she told the nuns to receive the Holy Mysteries, then gave each one a piece of the second apple. They noticed an unusual sweetness, and felt as if their very souls were being nourished. angel informed Saint Irene that she would be called to the Lord on the day after Saint Panteleimon’s feast. The monastery’s feast day fell on July 26, so Saint Irene prepared by fasting for a week beforehand. She took only a little water and small pieces of the third apple sent to her by Saint John. The whole monastery was filled with a heavenly fragrance, and all discord disappeared. July 28, Saint Irene called the nuns together in order to bid them farewell. She also told them to select Sister Mary as her successor, for she would keep them on the narrow way which leads to life (Matthew 7:14). After entreating God to protect her flock from the power of the devil, she smiled when she saw the angels who had been sent to receive her soul. Then she closed her eyes and surrendered her soul to God. Irene was more than 101 years old when she died, yet her face appeared young and beautiful. A great crowd of people came for her funeral, and many miracles took place at her tomb. some parishes it is customary to bless apples on the feast of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou.

Basilian monks, Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Armenia, Basil the Great, of the 5
Basilian monks, Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Armenia, Basil the Great, of the 5; Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, Kagithane River Folder

Kagithane River

Kagithane River Mouth (Golden Horn Estuary)

Bosphorus Strait, Constantinople and Bithynia
Bosphorus;

Thracian Penninsula
Thracian Penninsula, also known as Thracian Italy; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ;

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 1 (Constantinople)

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

Constantinople, Roman Roads Folder

Jerusalem, Roman Roads Folder

Judea (West Bank)
Judea;

Samaria (West Bank)
Samaria;

Benjamin, between Roads to Jericho on West Bank
Jericho West Bank;

Road to Gilgal - Galilee to Jericho Road

Egypt, Roman Roads Folder

Nile River Way

Cataracts of the Nile

Kings Highway (Nile River, Egypt to Euphrates River, Syria)

Way of the Sea (Egypt to Syria)

Rome, Roman Roads Folder

Rome, Italy, Appian Way Folder

Appian Way 336 Miles or 540 Kilometers
Appian Way;

Appian Way Route 2

Terracina (Appian Way, south of Rome)
Terracina, near Rome ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated October 7 ;

Appian Way (Rome)
Appian Way;

Appian Way (Naples)

Appian Way (Bari)

Appian Way (Brindisi)

Appian Way (Trullo)

Rome, Italy, Via Aurelia Folder

Via Aurelia (Roman Road, Pisa to Rome)
Via Aurelia;

Via Aurelia 1 (Pisa)
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome; Pisa;

Via Aurelia 2 (Cosa)
Via Aurelia 2 (Cosa);

Via Aurelia 3 - Alsium

Via Aurelia 4 - Aurelian gate, Porta St Pancrazio
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome - Aurelian gate, Rome aka Porta Pia. The Aurelian gate is known today as the Porta St Pancrazio. Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12;

Rome, Italy, Via Salaria Folder

Salarian Way, Via Salaria
Via Salaria;

Via Nomentana (ancient road from Rome to Nomentana, only 23 K)
Via Nomentana (ancient road from Rome to Nomentana, only 23 K, probably same route as the longer Via Salaria (Salt Road)); Virginmartyr Agnes of Rome, Commemorated January 21 ;

Via Salaria 1 (Porta Salaria Gate, Aurelain Walls)
Porta Salaria Gate, Gardens of Sallust, Aurelian Walls;

Via Salaria 2 (Rieti)
Rieti;

Interocrea (Antrodoco, between the mountains, Via Salaria) Severus brings back dead man in 6th C
Interocrea (Antrodoco, between the mountains); St Severus the Presbyter of Interocrea in Italy, Commemorated on June 27; Severus the Presbyter during the sixth century served in a church of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Interocrea in Central Italy. He was noted for his virtuous and God-pleasing life. One time, when the saint was working in his garden, cutting grapes in the vineyard, they summoned him to administer the Holy Mysteries for the dying. Saint Severus said: “Go back, and I’ll catch up with you soon.â€ remained only but a few more grapes to cut off, and Saint Severus dallied for awhile in the garden to finish the work. When he arrived at the sick person’s home, they told him that the person was already dead. Saint Severus, regarding himself as guilty in the death of a man without absolution, started to tremble and loudly he began to weep. He went into the house where the deceased lay. loud groans and calling himself a murderer, in tears he fell down before the dead person. Suddenly the dead man came alive and related to everyone that the demons wanted to seize his soul, but one of the angels said, “Give him back, since the priest Severus weeps over him, and on account of his tears the Lord has granted him this man.â€ Saint Severus, giving thanks to the Lord, confessed and communed the resurrected man with the Holy Mysteries. That man survived for another seven days, then joyfully went to the Lord.

Via Salaria 3 (Asculum, Ascoli Piceno)
Ascoli Piceno;

Via Salaria 4 (Castrum Truentinum, Adriatic Sea)
Castrum Truentinum;

Adrianium, Italy (Hadrianium)
Adrianium, Italy (Hadrianium) ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30;

Theato, Italy
Theato, Italy; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated August 14

Via Salaria 5 (Ancona)
Ancona;

England, Roman Roads Folder

The Roman Wall - Hadrian's Wall

Great North Road

Gaul, Roman Roads Folder

Gaul, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus
Frontier (Limes) Germanticus;

Gaul, German Frontier, Lower Rhine Frontier Folder

Roman German Frontier - Lower Limes Germanica

Roman German Frontier - Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands
Roman German Frontier - Katwijk;

Roman German Frontier- Valkenburg, South Holland
Valkenburg, South Holland

Roman German Frontier - Leiden, South Holland
Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland
Alphen aan den Rijn;

Roman German Frontier - Zwammerdam
Roman German Frontier - Zwammerdam;

Roman German Frontier - Bodegraven, South Holland

Roman German Frontier - Woerden, Central Netherlands
Woerden, Central Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Vleuten, Central Netherlands
Vleuten, Central Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Utrecht, Central Netherlands
Utrecht, Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Fectio, Central Netherlands
Roman German Frontier - Fectio, Central Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Rijswijk, Gelderland
Rijswijk, Gelderland; Central Eastern Netherlands

Roman German Frontier - Maurik, Gelderland
Maurik, Gelderland, Central Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Kesteren, Gelderland
Kesteren, Gelderland;

Roman German Frontier - Arnhem, Gelderland
Arnhem, Gelderland, Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Duiven, Eastern Netherlands
Duiven, Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Herwen, Eastern Netherlands
Herwen, Gelderland, Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Kleve, Germany
Kleve, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bedburg-Hau, Germany
Bedburg-Hau, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Kalkar, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Kalkar, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Xanten, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Xanten, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Moers, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Moers, Rhine River 10, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Krefeld, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Krefeld, Rhine River 9.5, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Neuss, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Neuss, Rhine River 9, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Monheim am Rhein, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Monheim am Rhein, Rhine River 8.5, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Dormagen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Dormagen, Rhine River 8.5, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Cologne, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Cologne, Rhine River 8, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bonn, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bonn, Rhine River 7, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Remagen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Remagen, Rhine River 6.5, Germany;

Gaul, German Frontier, Upper Rhine Frontier Folder

Roman German Frontier - Upper Limes Germanticus

Roman German Frontier - Rheinbrohl, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Rheinbrohl, Rhineland Palentine, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bad Ems, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Ems, Rhineland Plaz, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bad Schwalbach, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Schwalbach, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bad Homburg vor der HÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¶he, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Homburg vor der HÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¶he, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Wetterau, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Wetterau, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Grobkrotzenburg, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Grobkrotzenburg, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Miltenberg, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Miltenberg, Bavaria, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Rehberg (Harz) Mountain, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Rehberg (Harz) Mountain, Lower Saxony, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Buchen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Buchen, Badem Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Osterburken, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Osterburken, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Jagsthausen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Jagsthausen, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Welzheim, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Welzheim, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Lorch (Wurttemberg), Germany
Roman German Frontier - Lorch (Wurttemberg), Baden Wurttemburg, Germany:

Gaul, German Frontier, Rhaetian Frontier Folder
Roman Province of Rhaetia; Reschen Pass;

Roman German Frontier - Rhaetian Limes Germaticus

Roman German Frontier - Aalen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Aalen, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Gunzenhausen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Gunzenhausen, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Weibenburg in Bayern, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Weibenburg in Bayern, Middle Franconia, Germany;

Roman German Frontier, Kipfenberg, Germany
Roman German Frontier, Kipfenberg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Regensburg, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Pfunz Roman Fort, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Pfunz Roman Fort, Bavaria, Germany;

Ephesus, Roman Roads Folder

Great Road from Ephesus thru Colossae to the Euphrates at Melitine

Phrygia, Roman Roads Folder

Phrygia - Connecting Rivers Folder (a North South Route dividing Turkey)

Connecting Rivers Route (Akarcay and Sakarya Rivers)

Connecting Rivers Route (Akarcay and Sakarya) - Sakarya Mouth

Connecting Rivers Route - Sogut

Connecting River Route - Kotyaeion

Connecting Rivers Route - Synnada

Connecting Rivers Route - Polybotum

Connecting Rivers Route - Antioch, Pisidia

Connecting Rivers Route - Lake Beysehir

Connecting Rivers Route - Seleucia

Connecting Rivers Route - Akarcay River Mouth

Naples, Roman Roads Folder

Naples, Appian Way Folder

Terracina (Appian Way, north of Naples)
Terracina, near Rome ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated October 7 ;

Gaeta, Naples (Roman Road Appian Way)
Gaeto or Gaeta, Italy; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17;

Formia, Naples (on the Appian Way between Rome and Naples)
Formia, Lazio, bordering Campania, half way between Rome and Naples; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Sinuessa (on the Appian Way)
Sinuessa (in Campania); Sinuessa was a city on the line of the Via Appia, and was the last place where that great highroad touched on the sea-coast. Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7;

Thracian Italy, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian
Thracian Italy, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian, The Third Servile War 73 BC; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13;

Mount Garganus (north of Appian Way)
Mount Garganus; The Gargano peninsula is partly covered by the remains of an ancient forest, Foresta Umbra, the only remaining part in Italy of the ancient oak and beech forest that once covered much of Central Europe as well as the Apennine deciduous montane forests biome. Horace spoke of the oaks of Garganus in Ode II, ix.; Martyr Potitus at Naples, Commemorated on July 1;

Gargano, Mount Garganus (Adriatic Sea, east northeast of Naples)
Gargano, Mount Garganus; Martyr Potitus at Naples, Commemorated on July 1; Holy Martyr Potitus suffered under the emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161). Having become familiar with the Christian teaching, the young Potitus believed in the true God and accepted holy Baptism at thirteen years of age. When he learned of this, his pagan father was extremely upset and tried, first by endearments, and then by threats to dissuade his son from his faith in Christ the Savior, but his efforts were in vain. Impressed by the boy’s firmness of faith, the father also came to believe in the Son of God and became a Christian himself. Potitus traveled through many lands preaching about Christ, and by the power of God he worked wondrous miracles. the region of Epiros, lived the illustrious woman Kyriake, the wife of a senator; she was afflicted with leprosy. Hearing of Saint Potitus, she summoned him and asked him to heal her. The saint declared that if she believed in Christ, she would be healed. The woman accepted holy Baptism and was immediately made well. Seeing such a miracle, her husband and all their household believed in Christ and were baptized as well. this, the saint settled on Mount Garganus and lived in solitude, among the animals. He was found there by servants of the emperor Antoninus, whose daughter was possessed by a demon. Through the lips of the maiden, the devil said that he would come out of her only if Potitus should come. They brought the holy youth to the emperor, and through the prayers of Saint Potitus the demon released the girl. But instead of being grateful, the emperor treated the saint with inhuman cruelty. For his firm confession of faith in Christ the Savior, and for his refusal to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, to whom the emperor imputed the healing of his daughter, he ordered that the saint’s tongue be torn out, and that he be blinded. After lengthy torture, Saint Potitus was finally beheaded.

Aecae, Italy (Appian Way)
Aecae, Italy (Appian Way) ; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Brindisi, Italy (Appian Way, K Triangle)
Brindisi; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Appian Way (Bari)
Bari, Italy;

Via Egnatia - Bari, Italy
Bari, Italy;

Bari, Italy ( on Appian Way and Via Egnatia, across Adriatic from K Triangle Via)
Bari, Italy; Arab Muslim Conquest of Southern Italy 827; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10: Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Trullo, Appian Way east of Naples
Council in Trullo in 692; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Greece, Macedonia, Roman Roads Folder

Greece, Macedonia, K Triangle area of Macedonia Folder, Kutmichivitsa, Albania, Via Egnatia

Kutmichevitsa, Southwest Macedonia or Albania (K Triangle Area)
Kutmichevitsa, (K Triangle Area), the northwestern part of the region of Macedonia and the southern part of Albania, broadly taken to be the area included in the triangle ; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ;

Ochrid, Greater Macedonia and Albania (Roman Roads, largest city on Lake Ochrid)
Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated July 27 ; Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Gregory of Ochrid; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Bitolya, Center of K Triangle, Macedonia (Pelagonia Valley) Capital of First Bulgarian Empire
Bitolya ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Heraclea Lyncestis, Macedonia (center of K Triangle)
Heraclea Lyncestis;

Galatea Region of West Macedonia
Galatea Region; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Verroia, Macedonia (Beroea, west of Axios River Mouth, K Triangle, Via Egnatia Roman Road)
Verroia; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 26;

Kastoria, K Triangle, Macedonia
Kastoria, Macedonia; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Kastorian Hills, K Triangle, Macedonia, Greece
Kastoria, Macedonia; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Koritsa (Kastorian hills, right on Via Egnatia of K Triangle)
Koritsa (Kastorian hills) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Pidna, Macedonia
Pidna; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ;

Mount Peristeros, Macedonia
Mount Peristeros; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15;

Prespa Lakes Region, Macedonia, Greece and Albania
Prespa Lakes (Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa); St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15;

Armenia, Roman Roads Folder

Armenia, Kizilirmak River Folder, Great Road from Ephesus to Euphrates, Cappadocia

Kizilirmak River

Kizilirmak River Source (Imranli)
Imranli;

Kizilirmak River 1 (Sivas or Sebastea)

Sebaste, Armenia (high point, Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1)
Sebaste, Cappadocia; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379); Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9;

Kizilirmak River 2 (near Charsianon Fortress)

Kizilirmak River 3 (near Pinarbasi, Cappadocia)

Kizilirmak River 4 (Caesurea (Kayseri), Cappadocia)

Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia)
Cappadocia; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; St Meletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Venerable Igantius the Abbot in Asia Minor, Commemorated September 27 ; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated November 6 ; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4)
Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 3 ; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4;

Maza, temporary name of Caesarea (Kayseri) Armenia, by Julian the Apostate
Maza, temporary name of Caesarea (Kayseri) Armenia, by Julian the Apostate Eupsychius was filled with zeal for the Lord, and he destroyed the temple. He knew that this would inevitably result in his punishment. Saint Eupsychius distributed all his possessions to the poor and prepared himself for martyrdom. enraged emperor Julian loosed his wrath not only upon Saint Eupsychius, but against all the inhabitants of this city. Some of the citizens were executed, while the more respectable were sent into exile. Christian clergy were drafted into military service, and he looted the churches of anything valuable. The city was deprived of its title Caesarea [i.e. “Imperialâ€] and resumed its original name of Maza. He also imposed a severe tax on the inhabitants. The emperor threatened to annihilate the city altogether, if the people did not build a new pagan temple in place of the one destroyed. tried to compel Saint Eupsychius to offer sacrifice to idols. For many days they tormented the saint on a rack, and also with iron claws. But his faith was firm, and the judge sentenced the martyr to be beheaded with a sword. Julian embarked on a campaign against the Persians, marching through Cappadocia and approaching Caesarea. Danger threatened the city, since the emperor intended to raze it to its foundations. But then Saint Basil the Great (January 1), showing Julian the proper respect as sovereign authority, came out to meet him carrying with him three loaves of barley bread, which he ate. The emperor ordered his retainers to take the loaves, and to give Saint Basil a pinch of hay saying, “You have given us barley, cattle fodder. Now receive hay from us in return.â€ saint answered, “O Emperor, we bring you that which we ourselves eat, and you give us cattle feed. You mock us, since you, by your might, are not able to transform hay into bread, the essential food of mankind.â€ angrily retorted, “I’ll shove this hay down your throat when I return here from Persia. I shall raze this city to its very foundations, and plow over this ground and turn it into a field. I know that it was on your advice that the people dared to destroy the statues and temple of Fortuna.â€ this the emperor continued on his way, but soon perished in his campaign against the Persians. He was struck down in the year 363 by the holy Great Martyr Mercurius (November 24). the emperor’s demise, the Christians of the city of Caesarea built a splendid church over the grave of Saint Eupsychius, and from his holy relics they received help and healing. Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Holy Martyr Eupsychius was born in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia and received a Christian upbringing by his illustrious parents. the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), Saint Eupsychius entered into a Christian marriage. Caesarea there was a pagan temple to the goddess Fortuna, whom Julian the Apostate revered. As Eupsychius was going to his wedding, the pagans were offering sacrifice to the goddess Fortuna. Eupsychius was filled with zeal for the Lord, and he destroyed the temple. He knew that this would inevitably result in his punishment. Saint Eupsychius distributed all his possessions to the poor and prepared himself for martyrdom. enraged emperor Julian loosed his wrath not only upon Saint Eupsychius, but against all the inhabitants of this city. Some of the citizens were executed, while the more respectable were sent into exile. Christian clergy were drafted into military service, and he looted the churches of anything valuable. The city was deprived of its title Caesarea [i.e. “Imperialâ€] and resumed its original name of Maza. He also imposed a severe tax on the inhabitants. The emperor threatened to annihilate the city altogether, if the people did not build a new pagan temple in place of the one destroyed. tried to compel Saint Eupsychius to offer sacrifice to idols. For many days they tormented the saint on a rack, and also with iron claws. But his faith was firm, and the judge sentenced the martyr to be beheaded with a sword. Julian embarked on a campaign against the Persians, marching through Cappadocia and approaching Caesarea. Danger threatened the city, since the emperor intended to raze it to its foundations. But then Saint Basil the Great (January 1), showing Julian the proper respect as sovereign authority, came out to meet him carrying with him three loaves of barley bread, which he ate. The emperor ordered his retainers to take the loaves, and to give Saint Basil a pinch of hay saying, “You have given us barley, cattle fodder. Now receive hay from us in return.â€ saint answered, “O Emperor, we bring you that which we ourselves eat, and you give us cattle feed. You mock us, since you, by your might, are not able to transform hay into bread, the essential food of mankind.â€ angrily retorted, “I’ll shove this hay down your throat when I return here from Persia. I shall raze this city to its very foundations, and plow over this ground and turn it into a field. I know that it was on your advice that the people dared to destroy the statues and temple of Fortuna.â€ this the emperor continued on his way, but soon perished in his campaign against the Persians. He was struck down in the year 363 by the holy Great Martyr Mercurius (November 24). the emperor’s demise, the Christians of the city of Caesarea built a splendid church over the grave of Saint Eupsychius, and from his holy relics they received help and healing.

Comana, Armenia (Pontica, Armenia, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)
Comana (Cappadocia); Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31;

Mount Argeos, Armenia
Mount Argeos; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated February 11;

Prokopion, Armenia, Asia Minor
Prokopion (renamed Urgup by the Turks) ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27;

Sasima, Armenia
Sasima, St Basil the Great made St Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus)
Nazianzos; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ; Saint Caesarius, brother of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9;

Tyana, Armenia, Cappadocia and Cilicia
Tyana the Hittite Capital; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Kizilrmak River 5 (Nyssa, Cappadocia)

Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 5)
Nyssa, Cappadocia; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated November 17 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395);

Kizilirmak River 6 (Paphlagonia)

Armenia, Euphrates Kizilirmak Rivers Folder, Great Road, Syria

Euphrates River

Euphrates River Route

Euphrates River - Western Euphrates

Euphrates River Source (Murat River)

Euphrates River Source

Euphrates River 1

Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia (Euphreates River 1)
Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Euphrates River 2 (Melitene)

Armenia, Edessa and Melitene area Folder, Top Left of the Fertile Crescent

Edessa area of Euphrates River

Armenia, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River Folder, Great Road

Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene)
Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene); Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Euphrates River 3 (Samosata and Edessa)

Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. The holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50). Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Edessa, Armenia (abundant water)
Edessa in Syria which is also called upper Messopotamia. County of Edessa; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "Not-Made-By-Hands" of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Abgar monastery; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Michael "œthe Black-Robed"Â of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Unsleeping Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia, about 400 (Euphrates River 3)
Unsleepinge Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia advanced through all the degrees of monastic obedience, he received a blessing from the igumen to dwell in the wilderness. The saint lived an ascetical life in the wilderness, taking only the Holy Gospel with him. Afterwards, the Lord summoned him to preach to pagans. He converted to the faith the local city-head Rabbul, who afterwards prospered in the service of the Church, attaining the rank of bishop, and for thirty years, he occupied the bishop’s cathedra in the city of Edessa. Saint Alexander settled not far from the Euphrates River. Monks gathered around him, attracted by the loftiness of his prayerful asceticism and spiritual experience. A monastery of 400 monks eventually sprang up there. the holy igumen in his prayerful zeal decided to offer never-ceasing praise to the Lord at the monastery both by day and by night. For three years the holy abba prayed that God might reveal to him whether it was pleasing to Him to establish such a monastic rule. He received an answer by divine revelation. All the monks were divided into twenty-four watches of prayer. Changing shifts each hour, two choirs sang the holy Psalms both day and night, except when divine services were celebrated in church. Hence the name “Monastery of Unsleeping Ones,â€ since the ascetics offered unceasing praise to God. Alexander guided the monastery on the Euphrates for twelve years. Thereafter, having left the experienced Elder Trophimus as igumen, he set off with some chosen brethren through the cities bordering on Persia, to preach the Gospel. Having arrived at Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, he also established a monastery there with his Rule of unceasing praise. The abba died at a great old age after fifty years of monastic struggles. His death occurred in the year 430. Venerable Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Onesâ€, Commemorated on February 23

Hellenopolis, Syria (Edessa area)
Hellenopolis ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Jacob's Ladder, Haran, Edessa, Syria
Jacob's Ladder, Haran ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, Commorated on September 7 ;

Carrhae, Armenia (modern Harran, near Edessa)
Carrhae (modern Harran) ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ;

Constantina, Armenia and Syria (Kurdish Turkey, NE of Edessa)
Constantina; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. There are conflicting accounts about her holy relics being taken to Constantinople and other places, including Patras, Samos, and Patmos. According to the Western Martyrologies, Saint Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire, while according to the Menologion of Emperor Basil II, Saint Irene completed her martyric contest by being beheaded. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Saint Irene is also one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) and the Diveyevo nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

Zeugma, Syria (Euphrates River 3.5)
Zeugma, Syria; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ;

Kobane, Syria (Euphrates River 3.5)
Kobane, Syria;

Euphrates River 4 (Hieropolis, Syria)

Armenia, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River 4, Sajur River Folder

Sajur River 1

Sajur River 2

Sajur River 3

Sajur River Source (two streams at Gaziantep)

Sajur River Mouth (Hieropolis and Pethor, Euphrates River 4)

Hieropolis in Syria (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4)
Hieropolis in Syria (Euphrates River 4) 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated November 14 ;

Pethor (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4)
Pethor (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4); Numbers 22:1-21. Balak Summons Balaam (from Pethor) to Curse Israel;

Euphrates River 5 (Kings Highway)

Callinicus, or Callinicum, Armenia or Syria (Euphrates River 5)
Callinicus, or Callinicum; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects.

Euphrates River 6 (Chebar River Mouth)

Euphrates River 7 (Bagdagi)
Euphrates River;

Euphrates River 8 (Faluja)

Euphrates River 9 (Babylon)

Euphrates River 10

Euphrates River 11 (Samara)

Euphrates River 12

Euphrates River 13 (Tigris River)

Euphrates River Mouth (Persian Gulf)

Armenia, Silk Road to Great Road and Yerevan Trade Route Folder

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route 1 - Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Sild Road, Great Road Trade Route 2 - Patara (high point, Pontine, Armenia)
Patara (Cappadocia); city lay on the major trade road from Trapezus on the Black Sea to Satala, and thence to Lake Van. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Patara (high point on Trade Route connecting Silk Road Trebazond to Great Road at Mietelene to Yaravan)
Patara (Cappadocia); city lay on the major trade road from Trapezus on the Black Sea to Satala, and thence to Lake Van. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route 3 - Satala, Pontine, Armenia (on the road from Trabzon to Samosata and Lake Van)
Satala, Pontine, Armenia; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Silk Road to Great Road Trade Route 4 - Kemah Fortress, a high point
Kemah Fortress, a high point ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route 5 - Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Great Road To Yerevan Trade Route Folder - via Upper Euphrates

Great Road to Yerevan Armenia Trade Route via Upper Euphrates River

Great Road to Yerevan Armenia via Euphrates River Trade Route 1 - Samosata and Edessa, Armenia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 2 - Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 3 - Armenia, 1071, Battle of Manzikert at Lake Van on Upper Euphrates
Armenia, Battle of Manzikert 1071; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 3 - Lake Van, Taron Region
Lake Van; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Taron Region; Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 4 - Euphrates River Source (Murat River Source)
Murat River Source, the Major Source of the Euphrates; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Great Road to Yervan Trade Route 5 - Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene)
Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene); Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Albania, Roman Roads Folder

Albania, K Triangle Folder, Via Egnatia, Western K Triangle

Kutmichevitsa Triangle - K Triangle
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

K Triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

K Triangle Skopje-Salonik-Vlora
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

K Triangle Vlora-Saloniki-Skopje

Valona, Albania (Aous River Mouth. K Triangle, Via Egnatia)
Valona, Albania; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ;

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos Durras Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela kypsala Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of Marmaraere Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion l Turkey Byzantium Turkey

Albania, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road, K Triangle)

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos Durras Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi Village of Kermeyan Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of MarmaraereaŸlisi Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion Kaekmece, 15 km W of Istanbul Turkey Byzantium, later Constantinople Istanbul Turkey

Bithynia, Roman Roads Folder

Serbia, Roman Roads Folder

Serbia, Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Roman Road, Via Militarius

Roman Road, Via Militaris 1, Singidunum (Belgrade)
Roman Road, Via Militarius 1, Singidunum (Belgrade); Roman Road, Via Militarius;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 2 , Viminacium, Roman Moesia Superior (Prima) Capitol
Viminacium, capital of Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), on Via Militarius; Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 3 (Naissus or Nish, Serbia (South Morava River 5)
Roman Road, Via Militaris 3 (Naissus or Nish, Serbia (South Morava River 5) Nish, Serbia; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Hemus Pass
Saturninus and Traianus blocked the Goths near the passes of the Haemus, building a line of fortifications that repulsed the Gothic attacks. The two generals hoped to force the Goths to suffer through the cold winter and the scarcity of food in order to force them into submission; alternatively, the two generals planned to call back the sentinels, luring the Goths of Fritigern into an open-field battle in the plains between the Haemus and the Danube, where they were confident of winning.[2] Fritigern did not accept battle, but enlisted Hunnic and Alan reinforcements. Saturninus realised that he could no longer fight the enemy with his troops, lifted the block on the mountain passes, and retired.[3] magister militum per Thracias, Emperor Theodosius I, who had succeeded Valens after his death in the Battle of Adrianople, entrusted Saturninus to negotiate peace with the Goths: in October 382 he signed a treaty according to which the Goths were to live in the Low Danube as foederati. successful negotiation guaranteed Saturninus the imperial favour, and he was appointed consul for the year 383. Themistius dedicated to him a panegyric. 400 Saturninus was serving under the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, when the magister militum Gainas deposed and exiled him.

Roman Road, Via Militaris 5, Philippopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5)
Philippoplis; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 6, Adrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria
Adrianople; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St. Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Bulgaria, Roman Roads Folder

Bulgaria, Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Roman Road, Via Militarius 1, Singidunum (Belgrade)
Roman Road, Via Militarius 1, Singidunum (Belgrade); Roman Road, Via Militarius;

Roman Road, Via Militarius 2 , Viminacium, Roman Moesia Superior (Prima) Capitol
Viminacium, capital of Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), on Via Militarius; Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 4, Serdica or Sofia, Bulgaria
Roman Road, Via Militaris 4, Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula, on Roman Road. Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Bulgaria, Roman Roads Triangle Folder, Via Egnatia, Eastern Triangle

Valona, Albania (Aous River Mouth)
Valona, Albania; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ;

Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road, K Triangle)