Feasts and Saints

20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia; Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord

Orthodox Calendar, December 28 The Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. At this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril,…

Dec 28, 2025basilica.ro

† Apostle and Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon; Ven. Theodore the Confessor

Orthodox Calendar, December 27 Saint Stephen, Protomartyr and Archdeacon He was the eldest of the seven deacons, appointed by the Apostles themselves, and therefore he is called “archdeacon.” He was the first Christian martyr, and he suffered for Christ when he was about thirty. In the words of Asterias, he was “the starting point of…

Dec 27, 2025basilica.ro

†) Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God; Saint Nicodemus and Venerable Martyr Gerasimus of Tismana (Fast free)

Orthodox Calendar, December 26 Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God On the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church has established the celebration of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God. The name of today’s festival signifies the gathering of the faithful in…

Dec 26, 2025basilica.ro

(†) The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (Christmas)

Orthodox Calendar December 25 Our Lord’s Nativity was nine months after He took flesh from the Holy Spirit, at the Annunciation, when God sent Archangel Gabriel to announce Virgin Mary: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most…

Dec 25, 2025basilica.ro

Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome (Eve of the Nativity of our Lord)

Orthodox Calendar December 24 Holy Martyr Eugenia was a Roman by birth. She lived at Alexandria, where her father Philip was sent by the emperor Commodus (180-192) to be Prefect of Egypt. Eugenia received a fine upbringing and was noted for her beauty and good disposition. Many illustrious youths sought her hand, but she did…

Dec 24, 2025basilica.ro

Saint Antonina of Tismana; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete; St. Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea

Orthodox Calendar December 23 Saint Antonina of Tismana Saint Antonina of Tismana was born on March 7, 1923, in the village of Runcu, Vâlcea County, into a family of devout Christians, Ispas and Maria. She had two brothers and one sister. At Holy Baptism she received the name Ilinca. From early childhood, she sought the…

Dec 23, 2025basilica.ro

†) St. Peter Mogila, metropolitan of Kiev; Great-martyr Anastasia

Orthodox Calendar December 22 Saint Peter Mogila In 1632 Wladyslaw IV, the successor to King Sigismund of Poland, gave permission for the Orthodox to elect their own metropolitan of Kiev. Peter Mogila (1597–1646), the head of the Orthodox theological school that had been founded in 1615 at the Kievan Caves Monastery, was chosen. The saint…

Dec 22, 2025basilica.ro

Virgin-martyr Juliana of Nicomedia; Martyr Themistocles of Myra in Lycia; Sunday before the Nativity

Orthodox Calendar 21 December Holy Virgin Martyr Juliana Daughter of an illustrious pagan named Africanus, she was born in the city of Nicomedia. As a child, she was betrothed to a certain Elusius, one of the emperor’s advisors. Saint Juliana was endowed with a profound intellect and goodness of soul. She saw through the delusion…

Dec 21, 2025basilica.ro

Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord; Saint Seraphim the Enduring of Sâmbăta de Sus Hieromartyr; Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch

Orthodox Calendar, December 20 Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord The Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord begins on December 20. From now on, most of the liturgical hymns will be concerned with the birth of the Savior. Many of the Church’s hymns of this period are slightly modified versions of the hymns…

Dec 20, 2025basilica.ro

Saint Eulogia of Samurcășești; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome; St. Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits

Orthodox Calendar December 19 Saint Eulogia of Samurcășești Saint Eulogia was born on November 24, 1908, in the village of Nevesca (today Nimfeo), in northern Greece. At Baptism she received the name Ecaterina. Her parents, Evanghelitsa and Panaiot, belonged to an old Vlach community that had lived in those lands for generations. Trials and suffering…

Dec 19, 2025basilica.ro

†) Venerable Daniel the Hermit; Martyrs Sebastian and Zoe at Rome; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem (Fish permitted)

Orthodox Calendar, December 18 Venerable Daniel the Hermit He was born in a village not far from Rădăuţi, to righteous parents, being baptised with the name of Demetrius. Having loved spiritual life, when he was 16 years old, he left his parents’ house and joined the community of the Rădăuţi Monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas,…

Dec 18, 2025basilica.ro