When Jesus was a youth 12 years of age, he went with his Mother and Saint Joseph to the Temple. They left him behind by mistake, and three days later, they found him in the midst of the elders. This event is recorded at the end of Luke chapter 2, and it...

Saint Djan Darada was the Ethiopian eunuch baptized by the Apostle Philip. The Book of Acts (8:26-39) relates: Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza...

Saint Basil was born in Caesarea in 329, to a holy family full of saints. He went to complete his education in Athens, where he first met his lifelong friend Saint Gregory the Theologian. Later, after he had spent some time in solitude, Basil...

Saint Mark was born in Constantinople in 1392. He entered the monastic life as a young man, and he became a devoted student of the hesychastic teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas. Hesychasm is an Eastern Orthodox tradition of contemplative prayer, with...

Saint Philip II served as Metropolitan of Moscow (1566-68) during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV "the Terrible." He was born with the name Fyodor (Theodore) in 1507 to a leading Russian noble family. He grew up in close proximity to the royal court, but was...

The renowned Russian Saint Juliana of Lazarevo lived in the 16th century. She was faithful as a noblewoman, spouse, mother, and daughter of the Church, modeling how to live a saintly life in the context of family and everyday concerns. She cared for...

Saint Nino (also spelled Nina or Nune) was born in Cappadocia about the year 280. She was a kinswoman of Saint George. Her parents sold their possessions, moved to Jerusalem, and entered the monastic life, leaving Nino in the care of an old woman who...

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,...

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...

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...

This icon of the great poet and hymnographer Saint Ephraim the Syrian is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It shows the holy saint in his monastic clothing and distinctive head covering. He holds a scroll with the beginning of his...

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...

While not himself one of the Twelve Apostles, the Evangelist St. Mark is said to have been present at Jesus’ arrest. In the Gospel of Mark, the “young man” who ran away from the scene, and apparently watched the Crucifixion from afar,...

St. Peter, a chief Apostle along with St. Paul, was originally called Simon. The names "Peter" and "Cephas" both mean rock, and were both given by Jesus. He was first called alongside his brother Andrew.   Peter is known for committing a great...

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 beautiful contemporary Byzantine icon depicts St. Tatiana of Rome. Living under the pagan Roman emperor Severus in the 3rd century, Tatiana was from a wealthy family who had secretly converted to Christianity. After dedicating herself as a holy...

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 Seraphim is one of the Orthodox Church's most beloved holy elders. This icon was painted in the 19th century, featuring beautifully embossed gold and colored inlays. He was born in western Russia in 1754. According to tradition, he was sickly as...

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...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the renowned Russian St. Juliana of Lazarevo (and Murom). Faithful as a spouse, mother, and daughter of the Church, she cared for the needs of her family and the poor in her community. She bore hardship and...

Saint Agnes lived in Rome, the child of Christian parents. She dedicated herself to a life of virginity for the sake of Christ, and refused the proposal of the son of a Roman official. After confessing Christ, she was arrested, tortured, thrown into...

Saint Tatiana lived in Rome in the early 3rd century. She was raised a Christian and served as a deaconess. After her prayers resulted in the miraculous destruction of various idols and pagan temples, she was arrested and brutally tortured. Her...

On the eighth day after his birth — January 1 — the Lord Jesus was circumcised in the flesh according to the Abrahamic covenant. In submitting to this Christ confirmed his true human nature. He also fulfilled the letter of the ceremonial...

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...

On the eighth day after his birth — January 1 — the Lord Jesus was circumcised in the flesh according to the Abrahamic covenant. In submitting to this Christ confirmed his true human nature. He also fulfilled the letter of the ceremonial...

Born to wealthy and devout Christian parents in Egypt, Anthony was always sensitive to the duties of faith. When his parents died, Anthony distributed his inheritance to the poor and went to live a life in solitude that set an example for centuries to...

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 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 Nikephoros born in Greece in 1887. He suffered from leprosy and was sent to live in a leper colony at age 13. He joined the monastery of Chios in 1916 at age 24. He bore his ailment and its disfiguring effects with patience, chanting in 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...

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...

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...

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...

This 21st-century Bulgarian icon, painted by the hand of Georgi Chimev, features Saints Photius the Great, Gregory Palamas, and Mark of Ephesus. Also known as the Three New Holy Hierarchs, these holy Hierarchs had significant roles in guiding the...

This 21st-century Bulgarian icon, painted by the hand of Georgi Chimev, features Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. About the year 1100, there arose a discussion among the Christians of Constantinople about which of...

St. Basil was born in Caesarea in 329, to a holy family full of saints. He went to complete his education in Athens, where he first met his lifelong friend St. Gregory the Theologian. Later, after he had spent some time in solitude, Basil became a...

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...