In this icon, painted by Bulgarian iconographer Georgi Chimev, the Forerunner holds his own beheaded head on a platter while he holds a cross, signs and symbols of his martyric death. While this icon can be used on the many feasts of Saint John...

Saint Cyprian served as bishop of Carthage in the Roman province of Africa (in modern Tunisia). He was baptized late in life, but his conversion was radical and swift. Because of his great zeal, he was ordained a deacon, then priest, then bishop within...

Saint Aidan was a seventh century Irish missionary who preached in Northumbria in northern England. Centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the impacts of the fall were beginning to fade, and paganism was making a comeback in the British...

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...

This glorious icon of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner is from the iconostasis at Saint Nicholas Anthiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was painted by Fr. Theodore Koufos of blessed memory.  The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner,...

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,...

This beautiful example of Western iconography is part of the illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospel, which was produced in England in the early 8th century. We see Saint John writing his Gospel. The text at the top reads Imago...

The Apostle and Evangelist John was especially loved by Christ for his love and purity, and with Peter and James, was one of the closest Apostles to Him. He witnessed the Transfiguration and was the only Apostle to follow Christ to the very Cross, where...

Saint Moses the Ethiopian, also known as Moses the Black, lived in Egypt during the fourth century. He was a slave, but after committing a murder, his master cast him out. Moses carried on with his sinful life, and was widely feared for his infamous...

Also known as Nathanael, St. Bartholomew is traditionally held to have been one of the younger Apostles, and followed Christ with a simple, cheerful faith. After the Ascension, he ministered through Syria and Asia Minor alongside St. Philip, and was...

The details of St. Simon's role alongside Christ are mostly unknown, but he is traditionally said to have joined Christ after witnessing the miracle at the wedding at Cana, Simon's place of birth. His going to Jesus by his own choice, without being...

St. 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 to Jesus at the same time and place. Jesus also gave him the surname "Boanerges,"...

This contemporary Byzantine icon commemorates the Holy Prophet Micah. One of the minor prophets, he is renowned for his prophecies of the coming of St. John the Forerunner and the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is commemorated onJanuary 5 and August 14. His...

Saint Brendan was born in the year 484 in County Kerry, Ireland. He was educated in the monastery school at Tuam. When he was 26, he was ordained a priest and undertook several missionary journeys throughout the Scottish Isles and Britain. An...

Saint Nicodemus (or Nikodemos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. He is known as "the Secret Disciple" because he visited Jesus at night to discuss his teachings (John 3). He became known as a disciple of Christ, but not openly. As a member...

Saint Joseph was born in Greece in 1897. At the age of 23 he began to read the lives of the Saints, which sparked a yearning to enter the monastic life. He began to withdraw to the uninhabited countryside, and finally departed to Mount Athos. He...

Saint Dymphna lived in the seventh century. She was born in Oriel in northeastern Ireland to Damon, a pagan king; her mother was a Christian. When she was 14 years old, Dymphna took a vow of chastity. Her mother died soon afterwards. After the death of...

This historic Byzantine icon depicts the Archangel’s Michael response to Saints Florus and Laurus’ prayers in aiding them in their work with horses. As patron saints of horses and horsemanship, these saints–who eventually were martyred...

Saint Dorotheos was born in Antioch about the year 506 of prominent parents. He was well-educated and worked as a physician. He desired to enter the monastic life, and joined the monastery of Thawatha, where Saints Barsanuphius and John also lived...

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,...

This icon, known as the Holy Face, Holy Napkin or Mandylion, portrays the face of Christ on a piece of cloth carried by two angels.  According to Christian legend, King Abgar of Edessa wrote to Jesus, asking him to come cure him of an illness...

This icon depicts scenes from the life of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist. In the first panel, John's father Zachariah the High Priest receives the word of an angel that he would have a son, after which he was struck mute because of his unbelief...

Saint Rastislav was the second Prince of Great Moravia (today part of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary), reigning from 846 to 870. During his reign, he sought to free Moravia from the dominion of Eastern Francia under King Louis the...

  Saint Gabriel was born on March 22, 1684, in Zvierki (Zwierki, Poland). His parents, Peter and Anastasia, maintained their Orthodox faith despite the growth of Uniatism in the region. As a child, Gabriel preferred prayer and solitude rather than...

Saint Cyprian served as bishop of Carthage in the Roman province of Africa (in modern Tunisia). He was baptized late in life, but his conversion was radical and swift. Because of his great zeal, he was ordained a deacon, then priest, then bishop within...

After the miraculous conception of Saint John the Baptist by Saint Elizabeth and the Annunciation to the Theotokos of the conception of the Lord Jesus, the two cousins met at Elizabeth's home. When the Theotokos entered Elizabeth's presence, John leapt...

Job was a descendent of Abraham, and righteous in every way. For this, he was richly blessed with wealth and power. God saw fit to test Job. All at once, he lost his children and his wealth. His body was afflicted with painful sores. Job's few...

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

The martyrs Adrian and Natalia (Natalie) were husband and wife from Nicomedia, and they suffered around the turn of the 4th century. Adrian was a pagan, but when he saw the bravery of the Christian martyrs, he declared himself to be a Christian. For...

Emperor Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles, legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. He once saw a vision of the Cross in the sky and heard a voice say, "In this sign conquer." His feast is celebrated on May 21, together with his mother...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts St. Laurence of Rome in the beautiful robes of his diaconate.  Saint Lawrence (or Laurence) lived in the 3rd century. He was a companion of Pope Martyr St. Sixtus II, one of Rome's seven deacons at that...

Saint Helen, the Equal-to-the-Apostles, was the mother of Saint Constantine. As the mother of the Roman Emperor, she served as his Empress. She was devoted to the Holy Land, and discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. This event is...

Saint Aidan was a 7th century Irish missionary to Northumbria in northern England. Centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, its impacts were beginning to fade, and paganism was making a comeback in the British isles. With the support of...

Saint Anna was the wife of Saint Joachim. In her old age, Anna became the mother of the Virgin Mary Theotokos, and the grandmother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Her feast is celebrated on September 9, and she is known as a powerful intercessor for...

Saint Emilia (also known as Emmelia, Amelia, or Emily) was born in the fourth century. She was the daughter of an unknown martyr and wife of Saint Basil the Elder, who was a lawyer in Caesarea. Saints Basil and Emilia bore ten children, five of which...

Saint Lydia was a first-century “seller of purple,” an expensive, wine-colored fabric.  As described in Acts 16, Saint Paul received a vision in which a man pleaded with him to come to Macedonia. When he awoke, he immediately set out...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of...

This icon, which was painted by the master iconographer Michael Damaskinos in the 16th century, depicts the Fathers of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where the Nicene Creed was written. Emperor St. Constantine the Great sits in the center,...

This unique icon depicts the Saints Peter, Paul, Olga, and Xenia gathered under the glory and grace of their mutual Lord. The anonymous medieval Russian iconographer captured the glory and humility of these renowned female saints with the 1st century...

This icon, also known as the Holy Face, Holy Napkin or Mandylion, portrays the face of Christ on a piece of cloth, carried by two angels.  According to Christian legend, King Abgar of Edessa wrote to Jesus, asking him to come cure him...