Orthodox Christian Saints

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121

Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia

Saint Mocius was a presbyter in Macedonia in the city of Amphipolis. During a persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), St. Mocius exhorted the pagans who had assembled for the pagan festival of Dionysus (Bacchus), to abandon iniquity and the vile customs which accompanied this celebration. He urged them to repent and be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and be cleansed through holy Baptism.

The saint was brought to trial before the governor of Laodicea. When threatened with torture, he replied, “My death for Christ is a great accomplishment for me.” St. Mocius was subjected to torture, which he bore with marvelous endurance, and did not cease to denounce the idol-worshippers.

Taken to the pagan temple of Dionysus, the saint shattered the idols when he called upon Jesus Christ. After this he was put into a red-hot oven, where he remained unharmed, but the flames coming out of the oven scorched the governor.

Again the commander subjected St. Mocius to fierce torture, which he endured with the help of God. He was given to wild beasts to be eaten, but they did not touch him. The lions lay down at his feet. The people, seeing such miracles, urged that the saint be set free. The governor ordered the saint to be sent to the city of Perinth, and from there to Byzantium, where St. Mocius was executed.

Before his death he gave thanks to the Lord for giving him the strength to persevere to the very end. His last words were, “Lord, receive my spirit in peace.” Then he was beheaded. St. Mocius died about the year 295. Later, the emperor Constantine built a church in honor of the hieromartyr Mocius and transferred his holy passion-bearing relics into it

122

St. Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born at Constantinople in the seventh century. His father, a prominent senator, was killed by order of the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685). The young Germanus was emasculated and sent to a monastery, where he studied Holy Scripture.

Because of the sanctity of his life, Germanus was made bishop in the city of Cyzicus. St. Germanus rose up in defense of the Orthodox Faith against the iconoclast heretics. He was later made Patriarch of Constantinople. St. Germanus continued to stand up against the iconoclasts and to their spokesman, the heretical emperor Leo III the Isaurian (717-741), but the contest was unequal. He was forced to put his omophorion upon the altar table in the sanctuary, and to resign the archpastoral throne. Then the enraged emperor, who accused the Patriarch of heresy the day before, sent soldiers, who beat the saint and threw him out of the patriarchal residence. St. Germanus was Patriarch for fourteen years and five months.

He went to a monastery, where he spent the remaining days of his life. The holy Patriarch Germanus died in the year 740, at age ninety-five, and was buried in the Chora monastery in Constantinople. Afterwards, his relics were transferred to France.

At the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), the name of Patriarch Germanus was included in the diptychs of the saints. He wrote a “Meditation on Church Matters or Commentary on the Liturgy;” also an explanation of the difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and another work on the rewards of the righteous after death.

His important work on the various heresies that had arisen since apostolic times, and on the church councils that took place during the reign of the emperor Leo the Iconoclast, provides a wealth of historical information. There are also three letters from the Patriarch about the veneration of icons, which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Council.

His other works include hymns in praise of the saints, discourses on the Feasts of the Entry into the Temple, the Annunciation and the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and on the restoration of the church in honor of the Placing of the Venerable Zone of the Most Holy Theotokos.

123


Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite

St. Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born about 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A novice, and then head of the Staritsky Dormition monastery, during the Time of Troubles he was the foremost helper of St. Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow.

From 1611, St. Dionysius was archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Under his administration, a house and hospice for the injured and those left homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion was opened near the monastery. During a famine, he told the brethren of the Lavra to eat oat bread and water, leaving the wheat and the rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, he and the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, the monk Abraham Palitsyn (+ 1625), wrote letters asking the people of Nizhni-Novgorod and other cities to send fighting men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles. He also wrote to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky and to all the military people, urging them to hasten the campaign for Moscow.

His monastic training helped St. Dionysius to maintain his own inner light undiminished during the terrible years of this evil time. The saint achieved a high degree of spiritual pefection through unceasing prayer, which gave him the gift of working miracles. He carefully concealed his spiritual life from other people, who might suffer harm from a superficial knowledge of it.

“Do not ask a monk about things concerning his monastic life,” said St. Dionysius, “since for us monks, it is a great misfortune to reveal such secrets to laymen. It is written that what is done in secret should not be known, even by your own left hand. We must hide ourselves, so that what we do remains unknown, lest the devil lead us into all manner of negligence and indolence.”

We can only measure his spiritual development, and the knowledge of God which he attained, by those things which became apparent when circumstances compelled St. Dionysius to take an active part in the life of the world around him.

One such circumstance was his involvement in the revision of the service books. In 1616 St. Dionysius spoke of work on correction of the Book of Needs by comparing it with the ancient Slavonic manuscripts and various Greek editions.

During their work, investigators discovered discrepancies in other books edited in the period between patriarchs (1612-1619). People did not understand what the editors were doing, so they accused St. Dionysius and the others of heresy at a Council of 1618.

Deposed from his priestly rank and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery, where they wanted to kill him by starvation. The intervention of Patriarch Philaretos of Moscow and Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem (1619-1633) won his release in 1619, and he was cleared of the charges against him.

St. Dionysius was known for his strict observance of the monastery Rule, for sharing in monastery tasks and in the rebuilding of the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The Life and Canon to the saint was composed by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery steward Simon Azaryn and augmented by the priest John Nasedka, a coworker of St. Dionysius when he was correcting the service books.

St. Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra.

124

St. Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus

Saint Sabinus, Bishop of Cyprus, was born in the Phoenician city of Lycia. Hearing of the reknowned ascetic, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, Sabinus went to him and received monastic tonsure. For five years he lived in asceticism with St. Epiphanius in the wilderness. Afterwards, he wrote about the life and deeds of St. Epiphanius.

When St. Epiphanius was elevated to the See of Cyprus, he ordained St. Sabinus to the holy priesthood. After the death of his bishop and spiritual guide, St. Sabinus became his successor. The wise archpastor zealously defended the Church from heretics. He died in the mid-fifth century.

125

Martyr Alexander of Rome

The Holy Martyr Alexander suffered for Christ at the beginning of the fourth century. He was a soldier serving in the regiment of the tribune Tiberian at Rome. When he was eighteen, the Roman emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) issued an edict that all citizens were to go to the temple of Jupiter outside the city on a designated day to offer sacrifice.

The tribune Tiberian assembled his soldiers and he ordered them to go to this festival, but Alexander, raised from childhood in the Christian Faith, refused and said that he would not offer sacrifice to devils. Tiberian reported to the emperor Maximian that there was a soldier in his regiment who was a Christian. Soldiers were immediately sent to arrest Alexander.

Alexander was asleep, but an angel woke him and warned him of his impending martyrdom, saying that he would be with him during this time. When the soldiers arrived, Alexander came out to meet them. His face shone with a light so bright that the soldiers fell to the ground when they saw him. The saint upbraided them and told them to carry out their orders.

Standing before Maximian, St. Alexander boldly confessed his faith in Christ and he refused to worship the idols. He said that he was not afraid of the emperor, nor of his threats. The emperor tried to persuade the young man with promises of honors, but Alexander remained steadfast in his confession, and denounced the emperor and all the pagans. They tortured the holy martyr, but he bravely endured all the sufferings.

Maximian remanded St. Alexander to the tribune Tiberian, who was being sent to Thrace to persecute Christians there. So they brought the martyr to Thrace, fettered in chains. At this time an angel told St. Alexander’s mother, Pimenia, of her son’s martyrdom. Pimenia found her son in Carthage, where he stood before Tiberian and again he steadfastly confessed himself a Christian.

They subjected him to torture before the eyes of his mother, and then they took the prisoner on his final journey, walking behind Tiberian’s chariot. The brave Pimenia asked the soldiers to let her go to her son, and she encouraged him to undergo torments for Christ. The soldiers were astonished at the stoic strength of the martyr and they said one to another, “Great is the God of the Christians!”

The angel appeared to the martyr several times, strengthening him. By night a fearsome angel appeared to Tiberian with sword in hand, and commanded the tribune to hasten to Byzantium, since the martyr’s end was drawing near. Tiberian hurried on his way.

In the city of Philippopolis, Tiberian retried St. Alexander in the presence of the city dignitaries gathered for this event. At this trial St. Alexander remained steadfast. During his grievous journey the holy martyr had been repeatedly subjected to cruel tortures. He was strengthened by God, however, and he endured all the torments.

He gave strength to the soldiers weakened by thirst, asking the Lord to provide a spring of water for them. During the journey, the martyr prayed beneath a tree, asking for strength in his sufferings, and the fruit and leaves of this tree received a curative power. At a place named Burtodexion, the saint again met his mother Pimenia, who fell weeping at his feet. The holy martyr said to her, “Do not weep , my mother, for the day after tomorrow, the Lord shall help me finish matters.”

In the city of Drizipera Tiberian imposed the death sentence on the saint. The holy martyr gave thanks to the Lord for giving him the strength to endure all the torments, and to accept martyrdom. The soldier who was supposed to carry out the execution asked the saint’s forgiveness, and for a long time he could not bring himself to raise his sword, for he saw angels waiting to take the soul of the martyr.

The saint prayed and asked God to remove the angels, since he wanted to go to the Lord. Only then did he cut off the saint’s holy head. The saint’s body was cast into a river, but four dogs dragged it out of the water, and they would not let anyone near it, until St. Alexander’s mother Pimenia came. She took up the remains of her martyred son and reverently buried them near the River Ergina.

Healings began to take place at the grave of St. Alexander. Soon the holy martyr appeared to his mother in a dream, in which he comforted her and said that soon she too would be transported to the heavenly habitations.

126

St. Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada

Saint Pausicacus, Bishop of Synada, lived at the end of the sixth century in the Syrian city of Apamea. He had been raised in the Christian Faith by his pious parents, and he began to lead an ascetic life of prayer, vigil and fasting in his youth.

The Lord gave him the gift of healing sicknesses of both soul and body. Patriarch Cyriacus of Constantinople (591-606) consecrated St. Pausicacus as Bishop of Synada. St. Pausicacus wanted neither heretics nor dissolute people in his flock. He constantly taught his flock about the virtuous life, and his discourse was always powerful and lively.

Having come to Constantinople on affairs of the Church, he healed the emperor Mauricius of sickness, and on his return journey he asked the Lord for water to quench the thirst of his companions. After the prayer of the saint, a spring of pure water sprang up from the ground. St. Pausicacus died peacefully in the year 606.

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Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea

Saint Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the second century, during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She came from an illustrious family, and her father Macarius was a high-ranking Roman official. Later, the family moved to the Thracian city of Trajanopolis.

St. Glyceria lost both her father and mother at an early age. Falling in with Christians, she converted to the true Faith, and she visited the church every day. Sabinus, the governor of Trajanopolis, received the imperial edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, and so he designated a certain day for the inhabitants of the city to worship the idol Zeus.

St. Glyceria firmly resolved to suffer for Christ. She told the Christians of her intention, and she begged them to pray that the Lord would give her the strength to undergo the sufferings. On the appointed day St. Glyceria made the Sign of the Cross on her forehead, and went into the pagan temple.

The saint stood on a raised spot in the rays of the sun, and removed the veil from her head, showing the holy Cross traced on her forehead. She prayed fervently to God to bring the pagans to their senses and destroy the stone idol of Zeus. Suddenly thunder was heard, and the statue of Zeus crashed to the floor and smashed into little pieces.

In a rage, the governor Sabinus and the pagan priests commanded the people to pelt St. Glyceria with stones, but the stones did not touch the saint. They locked St. Glyceria in prison, where the Christian priest Philokrates came to her and encouraged the martyr in the struggle before her.

In the morning, when the tortures had started, suddenly an angel appeared in the midst of the torturers, and they fell to the ground, overcome with terror. When the vision vanished, Sabinus, who was hardly able to speak, ordered them to throw the saint into prison.

They shut the door securely and sealed it with the governor’s own ring, so that no one could get in to her. While she was in prison, angels of God brought St. Glyceria food and drink. Many days afterwards, Sabinus came to the prison and he himself removed the seal. Going in to the saint, he was shaken when he saw her alive and well.

Setting off for the city of Heraclea in Thrace, Sabinus gave orders to bring St. Glyceria there also. The Christians of Heraclea came out to meet her with Bishop Dometius at their head, and he prayed that the Lord would strengthen the saint to endure martyrdom.

At Heraclea they cast St. Glyceria into a red-hot furnace, but the fire was extinguished at once. Then the governor, in a mindless fury, gave orders to rip the skin from St. Glyceria’s head. Then they threw the martyr into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds.

When the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. Thinking that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. He wanted to kill himself, but St. Glyceria stopped him. Shaken by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her.

“Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. Laodicius placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the governor and everyone present about the miraculous healing of St. Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian.

The newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. St. Glyceria was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. She went to execution with great joy, but the lioness set loose upon the saint meekly crawled up to her and lay at her feet.

Finally, the saint prayed to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. In answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to heavenly bliss. At that moment, another lioness was set loose upon the saint. It pounced upon the martyr and killed her, but did not tear her apart. Bishop Dometius and the Christians of Heraclea reverently buried the holy martyr Glyceria. She suffered for Christ around the year 177. Her holy relics were glorified with a flow of healing myrrh.

St. Glyceria, whose name means “sweetness,” now rejoices in the unending sweetness of the heavenly Kingdom.

128


Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov

Saint Isidore Tverdislov (Constant of Word), Fool-for-Christ, Wonderworker of Rostov. He was born in Germany of rich parents. From his youth, he led “an unsullied life and had a compassionate understanding.” Leaving his parental home and “desiring the Kingdom of God,” St. Isidore distributed his wealth to the poor. Taking up the staff of a wanderer, he visited many lands and cities.

It is not known where he accepted the holy Orthodox Faith, but he was raised in Catholicism. Finally, he arrived in Russia and decided to live in Rostov. Here St. Isidore, “in filth and snow and rain and cold” and “enduring every outrage,” settled in a rickety wooden hut that he himself had made. He chose a foolish manner of life for the sake of Christ, which St. Paul describes in his Epistle" (1 Cor 4:10-13).

St. Isidore spent all his time at unceasing prayer, not allowing himself much sleep or rest. “He stood at all night vigil and praise” to dedicate his body “everlastingly to God.”

By day the blessed one made the rounds of the city, acting like a fool. “Like Job of old in his patience,” Blessed Isidore, while still alive, was “lan earthly angel and a heavenly man,” “a compassionate soul, and pure of thought, and vigilant heart and faith unassailed, and true love without pretense.” During his life he received the grace to work miracles.

St. Isidore reposed in the year 1474. They learned of his death only when passing by his hut they noticed a special fragrance. At the place of his burial in the city of Rostov the church of the Ascension of the Lord was built, in which his relics rest in a crypt as a source of miracles to the present day.

Blessed Isidore is termed “Tverdislov” (Constant of Word) since that he spoke constantly. The title “Tverdislov” seems unique to St. Isidore. This supplemental account of him is from Bulgakov’s Nastolnaya Kniga (1900).

129

Venerable Serapion of Egypt

Saint Serapion lived during the fifth century in Egypt. He was called the linen cloth-wearer (Sindonite) since he wore only a coarse linen garb called a “sindon.” From his youth the monk lived like the birds of the air, without a shelter.

For several days at a time he did not eat, not having the means to buy bread. He gave away his sindon to a beggar who was shivering from the cold, and he himself was naked.

A certain Greek philosopher, wishing to test the non-covetousness of the monk, gave him a gold coin and watched him. The saint went to the bakery, bought one loaf of bread, gave the merchant the gold coin and left, having no regard for the value of the money.

St. Serapion led many on the way of salvation. Once, he was the servant of a Greek actor, whom he converted to Christ. The actor, imitating the example of the holy life of the saint, believed and was baptized together with all his family. He asked St. Serapion to remain with him not as a servant, but as a guide and friend, but the monk went away, not taking any of the money offered him.

Traveling to Rome, St. Serapion got on a ship, but paid nothing to the ship owners. At first they began to reproach him for this, but noticing that the Elder had gone five days already without eating, they began to feed him for the sake of God, and in this they fulfilled the command of the Lord.

At Rome, the saint continued to wander about, going from house to house, having nothing, accumulating only spiritual wealth for himself and for his neighbor.

130

Martyr Maximus

The Holy Martyr Maximus suffered under the emperor Decius (249-251). Maximus was a layman and a merchant. He was a pious Christian and he led many pagans to faith in Christ the Savior, and persuaded them to accept Baptism.

Once, when pagans had gathered to offer a human sacrifice to their gods, St. Maximus plucked up his courage, unable to bear the sight of such a spectacle, and rushed at them, loudly denouncing their impiety and error, calling the idols soulless creations of mankind. The frenzied pagans stoned the martyr to death.

131


Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism

St. Pachomius the Great was both a model of desert dwelling, and with Sts. Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great, and Euthymius the Great, a founder of the cenobitic monastic life in Egypt.

St. Pachomius was born in the third century in the Thebaid (Upper Egypt). His parents were pagans who gave him an excellent secular education. From his youth he had a good character, and he was prudent and sensible.

When Pachomius reached the age of twenty, he was called up to serve in the army of the emperor Constantine (apparently, in the year 315). They put the new conscripts in a city prison guarded by soldiers. The local Christians fed the soldiers and took care of them.

When the young man learned that these people acted this way because of their love for God, fulfilling His commandment to love their neighbor, this made a deep impression upon his pure soul. Pachomius vowed to become a Christian. Pachomius returned from the army after the victory, received holy Baptism, moved to the lonely settlement of Shenesit, and began to lead a strict ascetic life. Realizing the need for spiritual guidance, he turned to the desert-dweller Palamon. He was accepted by the Elder, and he began to follow the example of his instructor in monastic struggles.

Once, after ten years of asceticism, St. Pachomius made his way through the desert, and halted at the ruins of the former village of Tabennisi. Here he heard a Voice ordering him to start a monastery at this place. Pachomius told the Elder Palamon of this, and they both regarded the words as a command from God.

They went to Tabennisi and built a small monastic cell. The holy Elder Palamon blessed the foundations of the monastery and predicted its future glory. But soon Palamon departed to the Lord. An angel of God then appeared to St. Pachomius in the form of a schemamonk and gave him a Rule of monastic life. Soon his older brother John came and settled there with him.

St. Pachomius endured many temptations and assaults from the Enemy of the race of man, but he resisted all temptations by his prayer and endurance.

Gradually, followers began to gather around St. Pachomius. Their teacher impressed everyone by his love for work, which enabled him to accomplish all kinds of monastic tasks. He cultivated a garden, he conversed with those seeking guidance, and he tended to the sick.

St. Pachomius introduced a monastic Rule of cenobitic life, giving everyone the same food and attire. The monks of the monastery fulfilled the obediences assigned them for the common good of the monastery. Among the various obediences was copying books. The monks were not allowed to possess their own money nor to accept anything from their relatives. St. Pachomius considered that an obedience fulfilled with zeal was greater than fasting or prayer. He also demanded from the monks an exact observance of the monastic Rule, and he chastized slackers.

His sister Maria came to see St. Pachomius, but the strict ascetic refused to see her. Through the gate keeper, he blessed her to enter upon the path of monastic life, promising his help with this. Maria wept, but did as her brother had ordered. The Tabennisi monks built her a hut on the opposite side of the River Nile. Nuns also began to gather around Maria. Soon a women’s monastery was formed with a strict monastic Rule provided by St. Pachomius.

The number of monks at the monastery grew quickly, and it became necessary to build seven more monasteries in the vicinity. The number of monks reached 7,000, all under the guidance of St. Pachomius, who visited all the monasteries and administered them. At the same time St. Pachomius remained a deeply humble monk, who was always ready to comply with and accept the words of each brother.

Severe and strict towards himself, St. Pachomius had great kindness and condescension toward the deficiencies of spiritually immature monks. One of the monks was eager for martyrdom, but St. Pachomius turned him from this desire and instructed him to fulfill his monastic obedience, taming his pride, and training him in humility.

Once, a monk did not heed his advice and left the monastery. He was set upon by brigands, who threatened him with death and forced him to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Filled with despair, the monk returned to the monastery. St. Pachomius ordered him to pray intensely night and day, keep a strict fast and live in complete solitude. The monk followed his advice, and this saved his soul from despair.

The saint taught his spiritual children to avoid judging others, and he himself feared to judge anyone even in thought.

St. Pachomius cared for the sick monks with special love. He visited them, he cheered the disheartened, he urged them to be thankful to God, and put their hope in His holy will. He relaxed the fasting rule for the sick, if this would help them recover their health. Once, in the saint’s absence, the cook did not prepare any cooked food for the monks, assuming that the brethren loved to fast. Instead of fulfilling his obedience, the cook plaited 500 mats, something which St. Pachomius had not told him to do. In punishment for his disobedience, all the mats prepared by the cook were burned.

St. Pachomius always taught the monks to rely only upon God’s help and mercy. It happened that there was a shortage of grain at the monastery. The saint spent the whole night in prayer, and in the morning a large quantity of bread was sent to the monastery from the city, at no charge. The Lord granted St. Pachomius the gift of wonderworking and healing the sick.

The Lord revealed to him the future of monasticism. The saint learned that future monks would not have such zeal in their struggles as the first generation had, and they would not have experienced guides. Prostrating himself upon the ground, St. Pachomius wept bitterly, calling out to the Lord and imploring mercy for them. He heard a Voice answer, “Pachomius, be mindful of the mercy of God. The monks of the future shall receive a reward, since they too shall have occasion to suffer the life burdensome for the monk.”

Toward the end of his life St. Pachomius fell ill from a pestilence that afflicted the region. His closest disciple, St. Theodore, tended to him with filial love. St. Pachomius died around the year 348 at the age of fifty-three, and was buried on a hill near the monastery.

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St. Achilles the Bishop of Larissa

Saint Achilles, Bishop of Larissa, lived during the fourth century, during the reign of St. Constantine the Great. Glorified for his holiness of life and erudition, he was made Bishop of Larissa in Thessaly.

St. Achilles participated in the First Ecumenical Council, where he boldly denounced the heretic Arius. In his city he strove to promote Christianity, destroyed idolatrous pagan temples, and he built and adorned churches.

St. Achilles had the gift of healing sickness, especially demonic possession, and he worked many miracles. The saint died peacefully in about the year 330. His relics have been in Prespa, Bulgaria (now the village of Akhila, renamed in honor of the saint) since 978.

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Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov

St. Euphrosynus of Pskov, in the world Eleazar, was born in about the year 1386 in the village of Videlebo, near Pskov, the same village where St. Nicander of Pskov had also been born. His parents wanted Eleazar to marry, but secretly he withdrew to the Snetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself) and there accepted tonsure.

Around the year 1425, searching for a place where he might devote himself to more intense prayer, St. Euphrosynus with the blessing of the abbot moved to a solitary cell at the River Tolva, not far from Pskov. But concern for the salvation of his neighbor impelled the saint to abandon his wilderness dwelling, and he began to receive everyone who was in need of an experienced Elder and guide. St. Euphrosynus blessed those coming to him to live according to a skete rule, compiled by himself.

The Rule of St. Euphrosynus presents a rather generalized advice for monks about proceeding on the monastic path, “how it befits monks to dwell.” He does not address the strict regulation of all aspects of monastic life, as did, for example, the Rule of St. Joseph of Volokolamsk; there is nothing at all in it concerning the order of divine services.

In 1447 at the request of the brethren, St. Euphrosynus built a church in honor of the Three Holy Hierarchs Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, who appeared to him, and also in honor of St. Onuphrius the Great. The monastery later received the name Spaso-Eleazarov. Out of humility and his love for the solitary life, the saint did not wish to be igumen, but instead nominated his disciple Ignatius for this office. He then went to live in the forest near a lake.

St. Euphrosynus died at the advanced age of ninety-five, on May 15, 1481. At his crypt, by order of Archbishop Gennadius of Novgorod, was placed an icon painted by his disciple Ignatius while the saint was still alive. Also included was the last testament of the saint to the brethren on a piece of parchment, stamped with the lead seal of Archbishop Theophilus of Novgorod. This is one of very few surviving wills written by an ascetic in his own hand.

St. Euphrosynus, the originator of Pskov wilderness life, taught many famed disciples, who also established monasteries, and planted the seeds of monasticism throughout the lands of Pskov. Among the disciples of St. Euphrosynus were the skete Elders Sava of Krypetsk; St. Dositheus of Verkhneostrov; St. Onuphrius of Malsk; St. Joachim of Opochsk; St. Hilarion of Gdovsk; St. Chariton of Kudinsk, founder and igumen of a monastery at Lake Kudina near Toroptsa; and the locally venerated brothers from Pskov Ignatius, Charalampos and Pamphilius, buried at the Spaso-Eleazar monastery.

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Martyr Theodotus of Ancyra

The Holy Martyr Theodotus and the Holy Seven Virgins, Tecusa, Phaine, Claudia, Matrona, Julia, Alexandra and Euphrasia lived during the second half of the third century in the city of Ancyra, Galatia, and died as martyrs for Christ at the beginning of the fourth century. St. Theodotus was an innkeeper who had his own inn and was married. He had attained a high degree of spiritual accomplishment, prudence and purity. He cultivated temperance in himself, subjugated the flesh to the spirit, and became proficient in fasting and prayer. By his words he brought Jews and pagans to the Christian Faith, and sinners to repentance and improvement. St. Theodotus received the gift of healing from the Lord, curing the sick by laying his hands on them.

During the persecution under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), Theoteknos, a man known for his cruelty, was appointed as governor in the city of Ancyra. Many Christians fled from the city, forsaking their homes and property. Theoteknos issued a proclamation informing Christians that they were obliged to offer sacrifice to idols, and if they refused, they would be tortured and killed. Pagans delivered Christians over to torture, and then divided up their property.

A famine befell the country. During these grim days, St. Theodotus gave shelter in his inn to Christians left homeless. He fed them, hid those being pursued, and gave to devastated churches everything necessary for the Divine Liturgy. He fearlessly went into the prisons, rendering help to those innocently condemned, encouraging them to be faithful to Christ the Savior to the very end.

Theodotus was not afraid to bury the remains of holy martyrs, either carrying them off secretly or ransoming them from the soldiers. When the Christian churches at Ancyra were destroyed and closed, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in his inn. Knowing that martyrdom awaited him, St. Theodotus, speaking with the priest Phrontonos, predicted that soon they would bring to him the relics of martyrs, at a place chosen by both of them. In surety of his words, St. Theodotus gave the priest his ring.

During this time, seven holy virgins died for Christ. The eldest, St. Tecusa, was an aunt of St. Theodotus. The holy virgins Tecusa, Phaine, Claudia, Matrona, Julia, Alexandra and Euphrasia had dedicated themselves to God from their youth, living in constant prayer, fasting, temperance and good deeds. All of them had attained to an advanced age.

Brought to trial as Christians, the holy virgins bravely confessed their faith in Christ before Theoteknos and were given over to torture, yet remained steadfast. The governor then gave them to shameless youths for defilement. The holy virgins prayed intensely, asking help from God. St. Tecusa fell down at the feet of a youth, and pushing back her veil she showed him her grey hair. The young men were startled, and ran off weeping. The governor then ordered that the saints take part in offering sacrifice to the idols, but again the holy virgins refused. For this they were sentenced to death. A heavy stone was tied to the legs of each, and all seven of the holy virgins were drowned in a lake.

On the following night St. Tecusa appeared in a dream to St. Theodotus, asking him to take her body and give it Christian burial. St. Theodotus, taking with him his friend Polychronius and several other Christians, went to the lake. It was dark, and a torch illumined their way. The holy martyr Sosander appeared in front of the guard who was posted by the pagans at the shore of the lake. The frightened guard ran off in terror.

The Christians found the bodies of the holy martyrs and carried them to church, where they were buried. Learning that the bodies of the holy martyrs had been stolen, the governor flew into a rage and gave orders to arrest all Christians and torture them. Polychronius also was seized. Unable to endure the torture, he accused St. Theodotus of stealing the bodies. St. Theodotus was prepared to die for Christ. Speaking with other Christians, he bequeathed his body to the priest Phrontonos, to whom he had given his ring.

The saint was brought before the judge. They showed him various instruments of torture, then promised him honors and riches if he denied Christ. St. Theodotus glorified the Lord Jesus Christ, and confessed his faith in Him. The pagans gave the saint over to constant torment, but the power of God sustained the holy martyr. He remained alive and was cast into prison.

On the following morning the governor again gave orders to torture the saint, but he soon realized that it was impossible to break his courage. He then gave orders to behead the martyr. The execution was carried out, but since a storm was approaching, the soldiers set fire to the body of the martyr. Some soldiers sat there in a tent, guarding the body.

At this point the priest Phrontonos appeared, leading a donkey with a load of wine from his vineyard. The donkey suddenly fell down near the place where the body of St. Theodotus lay. The soldiers helped get the donkey back up and they told Phrontonos that they were guarding the body of the executed Christian Theodotus. The priest understood that the Lord had intentionally sent him there. He placed the holy relics on the donkey and took them to the place indicated by St. Theodotus for his burial. Then he committed them to the earth with honor. Afterwards, he built a church on this spot. St. Theodotus was martyred for Christ on June 7, 303 or 304, but he is also commemorated on May 18, when the holy virgins were executed.

The account of the life and martyrdom of St. Theodotus and the suffering of the holy virgins was compiled by Nilus, a contemporary and companion of St. Theodotus. Living in the city of Ancyra during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian, Nilus witnessed the saint’s death.

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Martyr Bachtisius of Persia

The Holy Martyrs Simeon, Isaac and Bachtisius were Christians and lived during the third century in Persia under the emperor Sapor, a fierce persecutor of Christians. They tried to force the saints to deny Christ and be converted to fire-worship. They refused and said, “We will not turn away from the Creator of all, and we will not worship fire or the sun.” They cruelly tortured the holy martyrs, then threw them into prison, where they were not given food for seven days. Finally, the martyrs were beheaded.

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Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov

Saint Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, born at Pskov, was the founder of monastic life on Pali island in Lake Onega at the end of the fourteenth century. Despite the desolation of the island, brethren soon gathered near him. He built for them a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a trapeza church in honor of the holy Prophet Elias.

The saint spent the final years of his life in a cave half a verst from the monastery, in unceasing prayer. The ascetic added the wearing of heavy chains to his struggles.

The saint’s blessed repose occurred around the year 1420. His relics were transferred to the monastery church by his disciple, St. Abramius of Paleostrov (August 21), who was also glorified by his ascetical life, and was buried in the Paleostrov monastery beside his Elder.

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The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia

Holy Equal of the Apostles Nino, Enlightener of Georgia, was born around the year 280 in the city of Kolastra in Cappadocia. Her father Zabulon was related to the holy Great Martyr George (April 23). He came from an illustrious family, and pious parents, and he was highly regarded by the emperor Maximian (284-305). Zabulon, a Christian, served in the military under the emperor, and he took part in the liberation of Christian captives from Gaul (modern France). St. Nino’s mother, Susanna, was a sister of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. [Translator’s note: In 1996, the parents of St. Nino were numbered among the Saints.The commemoration of Sts. Zabulon and Susanna is May 20].

When she was twelve years old, St. Nino went to Jerusalem with her parents, who had only this one daughter. By their mutual consent and with the blessing of the Patriarch, Zabulon devoted his life to the service of God at the Jordan, and Susanna was made a deaconness in the church of the Holy Resurrection. The upbringing of St. Nino was entrusted to the pious Eldress, Nianphora. St. Nino displayed diligence and obedience for two years. By the grace of God, she got into the firm habit of fulfilling the rule of prayer, and reading the Holy Scriptures.

Once, while tearfully reading the Gospel passages describing the Crucifixion of Christ the Savior, she wondered about the fate of the Chiton (Tunic) of the Lord (Jn 19:23-24). When St. Nino asked where the Lord’s Chiton (Tunic) had gone (October 1), the Eldress Nianphora declared that the Lord’s incorrupt Chiton had been carried off by the Rabbi Eleazar of Mtskhet and taken back with him to a place named Iberia (Georgia), and called the appanage (i.e., the “allotted portion”) of the Mother of God. During Her earthly life, the All-Pure Virgin had received Georgia as her allotted portion, but an angel of the Lord appeared to Her and foretold that Georgia would become Her earthly portion only after Her Repose. She was told that Mt. Athos (also called the portion of the Mother of God) would be given to Her by God.

The Elderess Nianphora told her that Georgia had not yet been enlightened by the light of Christianity, St. Nino entreated the Most Holy Theotokos to grant that she would see Georgia converted to Christ, and might also enable her to find the Tunic of the Lord.

The Queen of Heaven heard the prayer of the young righteous one. Once, when St. Nino was resting after long prayer, the All-Pure Virgin appeared to her in a dream, and entrusting her with a cross plaited from sprigs, She said, “Take this cross, for it will be for you a shield and protection against all enemies both visible and invisible. Go to the land of Iberia, proclaim there the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and spread forth His grace, and I will be your Protectress.”

Awakening, St. Nino saw the cross (now preserved in a special reliquary in the Tbilisi Zion cathedral church) in her hand. Rejoicing in spirit, she went to her uncle, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and told him about her vision. The Patriarch then blessed the young virgin in her deed of Apostolic service.

On the way to Georgia, St. Nino escaped martyrdom, which however befell her companions: the emperor’s daughter Ripsimia, her guide Gaiania and thirty-five virgins (September 30), who had fled to Armenia from Rome to escape persecution under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Bolstered in spirit by visions of an angel of the Lord, who appeared the first time holding a censer, and a scroll the second time, St. Nino continued on her way and arrived in Georgia in the year 319. News of her soon spread through the area of Mtskhet, where she lived in asceticism. Numerous miracles accompanied her preaching. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, as pagan priests offered sacrifice in the presence of the emperor Mirian and a multitude of the people, the idols Armaz, Gatsi, and Gaim were toppled from a high mountain through the prayers of St. Nino. This was accompanied by a strong storm.

Entering Mtskhet, the ancient capital of Georgia, St. Nino found shelter in the household of a childless imperial official, whose wife Anastasia was delivered from infertility through the prayers of St. Nino, and she came to believe in Christ.

St. Nino healed the Georgian empress Nana from a grievous infirmity. After her Baptism, she ceased to worship idols and became a zealous Christian instead (October 1). In spite of the miraculous healing of his wife, the emperor Mirian (265-342), in view of the complaints of the pagans, prepared to subject St. Nino to fierce tortures. “At that very moment, when they plotted to execute the righteous one, the sun darkened and an impenetrable mist covered the place where the emperor was.”

The emperor suddenly fell blind, and seized by terror, his retainers began to beg their pagan idols for the light to return. “But Armaz, Gaim and Gatsi were deaf, and the darkness only intensified. Then with one voice they cried out to the God of Nino. Instantly, the darkness was lifted, and the sun shone in all its radiance.” This event occurred on May 6, 319.

Emperor Mirian, healed from his blindness by St. Nino, received holy Baptism with all his retainers. By 324, Christianity had established itself in Georgia.

The Chronicles relate that through her prayers, the location of the Lord’s Chiton was revealed to St. Nino. At this place the first Christian church was built in Georgia (at first a wooden church, but then a stone cathedral, in honor of the Twelve Holy Apostles, the “Svetitskhoveli”).

At the request of the emperor Mirian, and with the cooperation of the Byzantine emperor St. Constantine (306-337), Bishop Eustathius of Antioch was sent to Georgia with two priests and three deacons. Christianity took a definite hold upon the land. The mountain regions of Georgia, however, remained without enlightenment.

St. Nino traveled with the presbyter James and one of the deacons, to the upper regions of the Aragva and Iori Rivers, where she preached the Gospel to the people. Many of them came to believe in Christ and received holy Baptism. Then St. Nino proceeded to Kakhetia (Eastern Georgia) and settled in the village of Bodbe, in a small tent beside a mountain. Here she led an ascetic life of constant prayer, and converting the local inhabitants to Christ. Amidst all these was the empress of Kakhetia, named Sodzha [Sophia], who received Baptism with all her court and a multitude of the people.

Having completed her apostolic service in Georgia, St. Nino had a revelation from God of her impending end. In a letter to the emperor Mirian, she requested him to send Bishop John, so that he might prepare her for her final journey. Not only Bishop John did come, but also the emperor with all the clergy went to Bodbe, where many healings took place at the deathbed of St. Nino. For the edification of the people who had come, and at the request of her disciples, St. Nino told them of her life. This narration, written down by Solomia of Udzharm, has served as the basis of the Life of St. Nino.

Having received the Holy Mysteries, St. Nino instructed that her body be buried at Bodbe, and then she peacefully departed to the Lord in the year 335 (according to other sources, in the year 347, at the age of sixty-seven, after 35 years of apostolic labor).

The emperor, the clergy and the people, grieving over the death of St. Nino, wished to transfer her relics to the Mtskhet cathedral church, but they were not able to remove the coffin of the ascetic from her chosen place of rest. The emperor Mirian laid the foundations of a church on this site in 342, and his son the emperor Bakur (342-364) completed and dedicated the church in the name of St. Nino’s relative, the holy Great Martyr George.

Later, a women’s monastery dedicated to St. Nino was founded at this place. The relics of the saint, concealed beneath a crypt at her command, were glorified by many miracles and healings. The Georgian Orthodox Church, with the consent of the Patriarchate of Antioch, designated St. Nino the Enlightener of Georgia as Equal of the Apostles. She was numbered among the Saints, and her Feast was established as January 14, the day of her blessed repose.

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The 2 previous Saints were for June 1, 2005. laters pk

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Blessed St Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov

The Holy Prince Dovmont (Domant) of Pskov, prince of Nalshinaisk (Nalshensk), was a native of Lithuania, and at first he was a pagan. In 1265, escaping from internecine strife among the Lithuanian princes, he was forced to flee Lithuania and he arrived in Pskov with 300 families. The land of Pskov became his second country.

Here, in the expression of the Chronicler, “the grace of God was breathed upon him,” when he accepted Holy Baptism with the name Timothy and received the great gifts of the Lord. Within a year’s time, the people of Pskov chose him as their prince for his bravery and his true Christian virtues. For thirty-three years he ruled the city and was the only prince in the history of Pskov who died after living for so long in peace and in harmony with the Pskov veche (city-council).

He was just and strict in pursuing justice for others, he gave alms generously, took in the poor and strangers, he observed the church feasts, he was a patron of the churches and monasteries and he founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

After his marriage to the daughter of Great Prince Demetrius, the grandson of St. Alexander Nevsky (November 23 and August 30), he became related to the Russian princely line. Prince Dovmont, like St. Alexander Nevsky, was a glorious defender of the Russian Land. The prime importance of Prince Dovmont as a military leader and activist for the realm is that for many years he defended the northwest boundaries of the Russian realm from hostile incursions.

In 1268, Prince Dovmont was one of the heroes of the historic battle before Rakovor, where Russian forces won the victory over the Danish and German armies. Before each battle, St. Dovmont went into church, set down his sword at the steps of the holy altar and received a blessing from the priest, who girded on his sword for him.

St. Dovmont made the Pskov fortress impregnable. In memory of the glorious defender of the city, a stone wall, built by the holy prince beside the Krom at the end of the thirteenth century, was named the Dovmontov, and the territory enclosed by the wall, to the present day is called Dovmontov town.

The saintly defender’s “House of the Holy Trinity” was another pious matter. In gratitude to the Lord in Whose Name he had gained victory unharmed, holy Prince Dovmont built a church beside the Pskov Kremlin in honor of the feastday on which he won the victory. Other inhabitants of Pskov also built churches there in fulfillment of vows. The territory of present day Dovmontov town was completely covered with churches (the first temple in honor of St. Dovmont-Timothy was built in Dovmontov town in 1574).

The brave warrior-prince won his final victory on March 5, 1299 on the banks of the River Velika, where he defeated a large German army with a small company. Meanwhile, the Livonian Knights unexpectedly invaded the suburbs of Pskov, they seized the Snetnogor and Mirozh monasteries and burned them, cruelly murdering the inhabitants. They killed the founder of the Snetnogor monastery, St. Joasaph, and seventeen monks, and also St. Basil, igumen of Murozh (March 4). Holy Prince Dovmont, not waiting to raise a large army, went to engage the enemy with his retainers and he expelled the sacrilegious defilers from the boundaries of the Russian Land.

Several months later, holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy died and was buried in the Trinity cathedral of Pskov. The Chronicler relates that “there was then great sadness in Pleskov for the men and woman and small children on account of their good lord, the noble Prince Timothy.” The people of Pskov remembered how the holy prince had cared for them during peaceful times, and when the city was threatened by danger, how he led them into battle saying, “Good men of Pskov! Whoever is old among you is my father, whoever is young is my brother. Stand fast for the Holy Trinity!”

Soon after the Prince’s death he began to be venerated as a holy intercessor before God, guarding the land from enemies and misfortune. The holy prince defended Pskov more than once after his death. In the year 1480, when more than a hundred thousand Germans besieged the city, he appeared in a dream to a certain citizen and said, “Take my grave cover, carry it three times around the city with a cross, and do not be afraid.”

The people of Pskov fulfilled his instructions and the Germans departed from the city. A service to the holy prince was composed after this miraculous deliverance from enemies. Along with the relics of the saint, his battle sword was preserved (now the sword is in a Pskov museum). Thereafter, the sword was handed to the Pskov princes upon their elevation to the princely throne.

Holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy and his wife, the future Schemanun Martha (November 8), were depicted upon the wonderworking Murozh Icon of the Mother of God (September 24): “You have bestown a blessing on the all-pure image of Your icon, O Mother of God, by portraying the likeness of our steadfast intercessor Prince Dovmont and his pious spouse” (Service to the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy).

When the Mother of God appeared to the Elder Dorotheus during a siege of Pskov by the Poles on August 27, 1581, holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy was among the saints accompanying the heavenly Protectress of Pskov (the related account about the Pskov Protection Icon of the Mother of God is found under October 1).

The relics of holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy rest in the Pskov cathedral of the Life-Creating Trinity.

The holy Princes Vsevolod and Dovmont aided Russian armies more than once in defense of the country’s western borders. Then came the hour when they were sent by the Leader of the Heavenly Hosts to rise up in defense of the eastern frontiers.

In the year 1640, the great national movement to the east, “the meeting of the sun,” resulted in the Russian explorers arriving at the mouth of the Amur River and the Pacific Ocean. Rus bordered pagan China on these frontiers. The bulwark of Orthodoxy became the Russian fortress of Albazin, famous for the wonderworking Albazinsk Icon of the Mother of God (March 9) and the heroic “defense of Albazin” (1685-1686).

In the summer of 1679, during the Apostles’ Fast, Gabriel Florov and a company of cossacks set out from Albazin to explore the Zea River valley. For three years the cossacks did patrol duty on the Zea, making the rounds of the surrounding settlements. They brought the Tungus settlers under Russian rule, and they established winter quarters and a stockade.

Once, cossack riders encountered two men on white horses, clad in armor and armed with bows and swords. These were Sts. Vsevolod and Dovmont. Speaking with the cossacks and learning that they were from Albazin, the holy warrior-princes predicted the approach of Chinese armies upon the Amur soon afterwards. They said the battle would be difficult, but predicted the ultimate triumph of Russian arms. “The Chinese will come again, and enter into a great battle, and we shall aid the Russian people in these struggles. The Chinese will not trouble the city.”

Several times during 1684-1686 the Chinese horde advanced towards Albazin, but did not take the city. By the miraculous help of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God and the holy Princes Vsevolod and Dovmont of Pskov, the enemy was rendered powerless against the Orthodox fortress.

“The Account of the Miracles of Holy Princes Vsevolod and Dovmont” was written by Gabriel Florov at Yakutsk on October 23, 1689. The fealty of these saints has not ceased. New generations arise to change the face of the earth, but the Russian warriors Sts. Vsevolod and Dovmont stand steadfast in sacred patrol of their country.

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Holy Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother

The Holy Emperor Constantine (306-337) The Church calls him “Equal of the Apostles,” and historians call him “the Great.” He was the son of Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who governed the lands of Gaul and Britain.

At this time the immense Roman Empire was divided into a Western and an Eastern Empire, at the head of which were two independent emperors, and also corulers called “Caesars.” In the Western Roman Empire, St. Constantine’s father was Caesar. St. Contantine’s mother was the empress Helen, who was a Christian.

Constantine, the future ruler of all the whole Roman Empire, was raised to respect the Christian religion. His father did not persecute Christians in the lands he governed. This was at a time when throughout the rest of the Roman Empire Christians were subjected to fierce persecutions by the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and his corulers Maximian Galerius (305-311) in the East, and the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) in the West.

After the death of Constantius Chlorus in 306, Constantine was acclaimed by the army as emperor of Gaul and Britain. The first act of the new emperor was to grant the freedom to practice Christianity in the lands subject to him. The pagan Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Constantine and they plotted to overthrow and kill him, but Constantine bested them in a series of battles, defeating his opponents with the help of God. He prayed to God to give him a sign which would inspire his army to fight valiantly, and the Lord showed him a radiant Sign of the Cross in the heavens with the inscription “In this Sign, conquer.”

Having become sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan granting religious tolerance in 313. In 323, when he became the sole ruler over the entire Roman Empire, he also extended the provisions of the Edict of Milan to the Eastern half of the Empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians could finally practice their faith without fear.

Renouncing paganism, the Emperor did not let his capital remain in ancient Rome, the former center of the pagan realm. He transferred his capital to the East, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople [the city of Constantine]. Constantine was deeply convinced that only Christianity could unify the immense Roman Empire with its diverse peoples. He supported the Church in every way. He recalled Christian confessors from banishment, he built churches, and he showed concern for the clergy.

The emperor deeply revered the victory-bearing Sign of the Cross of the Lord, and also wanted to find the actual Cross upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose he sent his own mother, the holy Empress Helen, to Jerusalem, granting her both power and money. Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and St. Helen began the search, and through the will of God, the Life-Creating Cross was miraculously discovered in 326. (The account of the finding of the Cross of the Lord is found under the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14). The Orthodox Church commemorates the Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Holy Empress Helen on March 6.

While in Palestine, the holy empress did much of benefit for the Church. She ordered that all places connected with the earthly life of the Lord and His All-Pure Mother, should be freed of all traces of paganism, and she commanded that churches should be built at these places.

Over the Sepulchre of the Lord the emperor Constantine gave orders to build a magnificent church in honor of Christ’s Resurrection. St. Helen gave the Life-Creating Cross to the Patriarch for safe-keeping, and took part of the Cross with her for the emperor. After distributing generous alms at Jerusalem and feeding the needy (at times she even served them herself), the holy Empress Helen returned to Constantinople, where she died in the year 327.

Because of her great services to the Church and her efforts in finding the Life-Creating Cross, the empress Helen is called “Equal of the Apostles.”

The peaceful state of the Christian Church was disturbed by quarrels, dissensions and heresies which had appeared within the Church. Already at the beginning of St. Constantine’s reign the heresies of the Donatists and the Novatians had arisen in the West. They demanded a second baptism for those who lapsed during the persecutions against Christians. These heresies, repudiated by two local Church councils, were finally condemned at the Council of Milan in 316.

Particularly ruinous for the Church was the rise of the Arian heresy in the East, which denied the Divine Nature of the Son of God, and taught that Jesus Christ was a mere creature. By order of the emperor, the First Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea in 325.

318 bishops attended this Council. Among its participants were confessor-bishops from the period of the persecutions and many other luminaries of the Church, among whom was St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia. (The account about the Council is found under May 29). The emperor was present at the sessions of the Council. The heresy of Arius was condemned and a Symbol of Faith (Creed) composed, in which was included the term “consubstantial with the Father,” confirming the truth of the divinity of Jesus Christ, Who assumed human nature for the redemption of all the human race.

One might possibly be surprised by St. Constantine’s grasp of theological issues during the discussions at the Council. The term “consubstantial” was included in the Symbol of Faith at his insistence.

After the Council of Nicea, St. Constantine continued with his active role in the welfare of the Church. He accepted holy Baptism on his deathbed, having prepared for it all his whole life. St. Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in the year 337 and was buried in the church of the Holy Apostles, in a crypt he had prepared for himself.