Orthodox Calendar, July 19 Venerable Macrina Saint Macrina was the sister of the holy hierarchs Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, and was born in Cappadocia at the beginning of the fourth century. Her mother, Emilia, saw an angel in a dream, naming her unborn child Thekla, in honor of the holy Protomartyr Thekla.…
Orthodox calendar, July 18 Holy Martyr Emilian of Durostorum The Holy Martyr Emilian suffered for Christ during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian wanted to restore the cult of the pagan gods throughout the Roman Empire, and he issued an edict, according to which all Christians who failed to honor the pagan gods…
Orthodox Calendar, July 17 Holy Great Martyr Marina The Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in Asia Minor, in the city of Antioch of Pisidia (southern Asia Minor), into the family of a pagan priest. In infancy she lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina…
Orthodox Calendar, July 16 Hieromartyr Athenogenes and his Ten Disciples Hieromartyr Athenogenes and his Ten Disciples suffered for Christ during the persecution of Christians in the city of Sebastea in Cappadocia. The governor Philomachos arranged a large festival in honor of the pagan gods and called upon the citizens of Sebastea to offer sacrifice to…
Orthodox Calendar, July 15 Martyrs Cyricus and Julita The Holy Martyrs Cyricus and Julita lived in the city of Iconium in the province of Lykaoneia in Asia Minor. Saint Julita was descended from an illustrious family and was a Christian. Widowed early on, she raised her three-year old-son Cyricus (Quiricus). During the emperor Diocletian’s persecution…
Orthodox Calendar, July 14 Saint Aquila, Apostle of the 70 It is possible that he was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, a native of Pontus and a Jew, living in the city of Rome with his wife Priscilla (they are commemorated on February 13 on the Greek Calendar). During the reign of the emperor…
Orthodox Calendar, July 13 Translation of the relics of Saint Demetrius the New to Bucharest Saint Demetrius the New was born early in the thirteenth century to a peasant family in the village of Basarabov, then part of Bulgaria. Even in childhood, he gave himself to fasting and prayer. Once, walking across a field, he…
Orthodox Calendar, July 12 The Prodromitissa Icon of the Mother of God There are few icons not made by human hands in the whole Orthodox world and this is one of them. The icon is part of the treasure of the Romanian “Prodromou” (“The Forerunner” – St John the Baptist) Skete on Holy Mount Athos.…
Orthodox Calendar, July 11 The Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised The holy Great Martyr Euphemia 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…
Orthodox Calendar, July 10 The Forty-five Martyrs of the Armenian City of Nicopolis They suffered during the reign of the emperor Licinius (311-324), then a co-regent with Constantine the Great. Licinius, the ruler of the Eastern Empire, fiercely persecuted Christians and issued an edict to put to death any Christian who would not return to…
Orthodox Calendar July 9 The Neamţ Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God named Hodegetria (“She Who Leads the Way”) This icon of the Mother of God is believed to be the oldest and most beautiful in Romania and the Byzantine world. It is known throughout the world as a wonderworking icon. For over 600…
