John the Evangelist did not only author a Gospel, but was a much-beloved Apostle and minister of Jesus. He and his brother James were both fishermen and both called by Jesus at the same time and place. Jesus also gave him the surname Boanerges,...

Saint Panteleimon lived in the late 3rd century. A native of Nicomedia, his mother wished for him to be raised a Christian. When she died young, his pagan father sent him to be educated as a physician. He was befriended by Saint Hermolaus, a priest, and...

Saints Fyodor (Theodore) and his son John were Varangian Christians who had immigrated from Greece to Kiev. Before his conversion to Christianity in the year 988, Saint Vladimir the Great was a ruthless and violent pagan ruler. After a certain victory...

Saint Olaf II was an early King of Norway and Christian martyr. He was born about the year 995 to the royal family of the small kingdom of Vestfold. He grew up participating in fighting expeditions. Around the age of 19, he converted to the Christian...

Saint Benjamin was born in 1873 in the northwestern Russian Empire with the name of Vasily. At age 20, he graduated from seminary. Two years later, he was ordained a priest-monk with the name of Benjamin. A man of great intellect, he served as a...

Mother Maria (Skobtsova) was a native of Latvia, born in 1891. As a teenager, she was drawn to the teachings of the Socialists. Eventually her concern for the poor led her back to her faith in Christ, and she returned to her native Russian Orthodox...

This incredible icon of Saint Elias the Prophet is from the iconostasis at Saint Nicholas Anthiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It features Saint Elias being taken up to heaven in the chariot of fire, while his disciple, the Prophet...

Saint Lucia (also known as Lucy) of Syracuse in Sicily, was a martyr under the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. She suffered early in the 4th century, at about the age of 20, after she refused to marry a pagan. Her feast is celebrated on December 13,...

The Holy Scriptures are the books written over the course of some seventeen centuries by men under divine inspiration. This collection of books is divided into two sections: the Old Testament, which concerns the time from the creation of the world and...

During the reign of Caesar Augustus, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem. Refer to the Gospels of Matthew (chapters 1-2) and Luke (chapter 2) for the account of the Lord's birth in the flesh. The...

Saint Spyridon was from Cyprus, where he worked as a shepherd. After the death of his wife, he was appointed Bishop of Trimythus. At the First Ecumenical Council, he refuted the Arians using his simple wisdom. God granted him the gift of wonderworking,...

The holy New Martyr Dionysios was a monk of Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. In 1822, he was sent to Crete with the holy Belt of the Theotokos admidst an epidemic that was ravaging the island. A revolution had broken out on the island against the...

This absolutely stunning 14th century icon set features three beautiful icons, specially edged in black for a striking visual effect. Painted in Siena, Tuscany by Duccio di Buoninsegna about the turn of the 14th century, it carries on the strong shared...

This touching icon of the holy Ancestor of God Saint Anna is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It depicts the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ embracing her daughter. The young Mary holds a flower. This icon...

This finely-painted icon of the holy priest-monk Saint Paisios of Mount Athos is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It depicts the holy saint in his monastic habit, wearing the Great Schema and his distinctive knit cap. He holds a...

This icon of the holy priest-monk Saint Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It shows the holy saint in his monastic garments, priestly stole and cuffs, and his distinctive knit cap. He holds the book of the...

Saint Tatiana was the second daughter of Tsar St. Nicholas II and Tsarina St. Alexandra. She was born in 1897. She was widely known for her beauty and elegance, but within the Royal Family, she was a second maternal figure for her younger siblings...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the Righteous Rebecca, bride of Isaac and mother of Esau and Jacob. As the grandmother of Jacob’s twelve sons, she figures prominently in Christ’s lineage. In addition, her story of trust and fidelity...

This contemporary Byzantine icon celebrates Saint Marina the Great Martyr. She lived in was from Antioch in Pisidia (modern-day Turkey). As a holy virgin, she suffered faithfully and endured many struggles before reposing under the Roman emperor...

This Byzantine icon depicts the Prophet and King David in his boyhood pastoral setting as recorded in 1 Samuel. Following the canons of form and color, this contemporary icon captures the humility and glory of this forerunner and ancestor of Christ...

This beautiful Byzantine icon depicts Saint Theophylact of Ohrid. Renowned for his writings on Scripture and missionary presence to the Bulgarians in the 11th-12th centuries, he reposed on December 31, 1107, and is commemorated on that day.  This...

This incredibly beautiful icon features the Magi presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ Child. This event is celebrated on December 25 in Eastern Christianity and January 6 (Epiphany) in Western Christianity. The icon has...

During the reign of Caesar Augustus, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem. Refer to the Gospels of Matthew (chapters 1-2) and Luke (chapter 2) for the account of the Lord's birth in the flesh...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the city of Patara. His wealthy Christian parents died when he was young, and he gave his inheritance to the poor. Devoting himself to the Church, Nicholas was eventually ordained Bishop of Myra. In this...

Ruth lived about the 13th century before Christ. She was the great-grandmother of David, the King of Israel. During a time of famine in Israel, Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem took their sons and traveled to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech died,...

Saint Hannah was the wife of Elkanah. She was deeply grieved by her barrenness, and she devoted herself to prayer in the temple. Once, as she was fervently praying in silence, the priest Eli thought she was drunk and rebuked her. But she poured out her...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the city of Patara. His wealthy Christian parents died when he was young, and he gave his inheritance to the poor. Devoting himself to the Church, Nicholas was eventually ordained Bishop of Myra...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the Archangel Gabriel in vivid colors. He bears a scepter and orb, denoting the authority delegated to him by the Lord of Hosts. As a member of one of the nine celestial hierarchies accounted by Scripture and...

The origins of this icon are unknown, but it is certainly ancient. Throughout the centuries, in the pain of childbirth women have found immense comfort in the intercessions of the Theotokos, who gave birth to Our Lord Jesus Christ. The icon is...

This 19th century icon beautifully portrays the nativity in the flesh of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Visible in the icon, from the top, are the Star of Bethlehem (portrayed as the Holy Spirit), the angels, Magi, and a shepherd, Saint Joseph being...

This early 20th century icon portrays the nativity in the flesh of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Visible in the icon, from the top, are the Star of Bethlehem (portrayed as the Holy Spirit), the angels, Magi, and a shepherd, Saint Joseph being...

Saint Sophrony was born to Orthodox parents in Russia in 1896 and was named Sergei Sakharov. As a child he prayed for long periods of time every day, and even experienced the Uncreated Light. As he came of age, he became a talented artist and attended...

Saint Boniface lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (286-305). He was the servant of a ranking Roman woman named Aglais, but in truth they were living together in a sinful union. Boniface drank heavily and lived in hedonism, yet he was...

Saint Ambrose was born in Gaul about the year 340, and served as a member of the Roman Senate. In those days, the bishop of Milan was a follower of the heretic Arius. When the bishop died and the time came to elect his successor, violence broke...

Saint Nicholas II reigned as the last Tsar (Emperor) of Russia from 1894 to 1917. His rule saw the liberalization and eventual fall of the Russian Empire in the Bolshevik Revolution, which ushered in the Soviet communism which was incredibly...

Saint Joseph lived in Syria in the 19th century. He was a priest who worked as a translator and editor of the Church Fathers' writings, desiring to bring their teachings to the faithful. In 1860, a wave of anti-Christian Druze riots swept through...

Joachim and Anna were the parents of the holy Virgin Mary. They were childless, and for this they were derided by their fellow Jews, who believed they must have been cursed. They both devoted themselves to prayer, and they each vowed to dedicate their...

Saint Boniface lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (286-305). He was the servant of a ranking Roman woman named Aglais, but in truth they were living together in a sinful union. Boniface drank heavily and lived in hedonism, yet he was...

Saint Boniface lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (286-305). He was the servant of a ranking Roman woman named Aglais, but in truth they were living together in a sinful union. Boniface drank heavily and lived in hedonism, yet he was...