Saints

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they...

Saint (Elder) Paisios was an Athonite monk, spiritual father, founder of monasteries, and prolific writer of many works that have been translated and read throughout the world. He reposed in 1994. The saint was glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate...

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...

The holy Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene was from the village of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. At some point in her life, she came under the possession of seven demons. The Lord Jesus cast the demons out (Luke 8), and Mary became...

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 John was the Russian Orthodox bishop of various cities in the 20th century, including Shanghai, China, and San Francisco, California. In these and other places he cared for his flock, which included many Russians who had fled the persecution of...

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...

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...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor...

Saint Elizabeth was born in Germany in 1864 to a noble family. At age 14 she was orphaned, and was raised in part by her grandmother, Queen Victoria of Great Britain. She married into the Russian Royal Family in 1884, joining to her husband, Grand Duke...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the glory of the Archangel Gabriel. Serving as chief liaison between God and man, he serves as messenger, including announcing the Incarnation to the Theotokos/Virgin Mary. Here, he is depicted in glorious...

This 17th century icon comes from the Hilander monastery on Mount Athos. It features four prominent warrior saints, from left to right, Demetrios the Myrrh-streaming (also spelled Demetrius/Dmitri), George the Trophy-bearer, Prokopios (or Procopius),...

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...

Elijah (or in Greek, Elias) lived under the rule of Ahab, “who did evil before the Lord, more than all who were before him” (3 Kgd. 16:38). Through Elijah, God gave the world a voice of justice in an unjust time. But the miracles and signs...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they...

This 19th century Old Believer icon of the great penitent Saint Mary of Egypt comes from Mstera, Russia. She stands in the center, surrounded by scenes of her meetings with Abba Zosimas. She is commemorated on April 1, and in the Orthodox Church, the...

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,...

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...

Saint Olga was the wife of Igor, the Prince of Kiev, in the tenth century. When her husband died, she assumed the throne. This was during the evangelization of the Slavic peoples, and Olga herself converted to Christ, and was baptized in Constantinople...

Saint Benedict was born in Nursia in central Italy in the the year 480. In his 20s he left the world for solitude, and became a hermit. He spent his days in prayer, and mortified his flesh in repentance for his sins. He is considered the founder of...

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,...

Saint Thekla (or Thecla) was born into a pagan noble family just sixteen years after the Ascension. When she was eighteen, against the wishes of her mother and fiancé, she became a disciple of St. Paul. Despite the objections of her...

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...

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...

Elias (or in Hebrew, Elijah) lived under the rule of Ahab, “who did evil before the Lord, more than all who were before him” (3 Kgd. 16:38). Through Elijah, God gave the world a voice of justice in an unjust time. But the miracles and signs...

Originally called Prokhor, St. Seraphim was born to middle-class parents in Russia in 1754. He became very ill as a young child, but was healed by the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon through his own faith and the faith of his mother. After this...

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they...

This is an original and unique icon from Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral. It depicts Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, the founding cleric of the Cathedral community in 1895, and Saint Tikhon of Moscow, who actually consecrated the old Saint...

This icon depicts the Archangel Gabriel in his service and posture as chief messenger of the Lord of Hosts. His left hand bears a scepter, symbolizing his authority, and his right hand is raised in greeting. Holy Gabriel was instrumental in preparing...

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...

Saints Cyril and Methodius were 9th-century Greek brothers born in Thessalonica in Macedonia, in the Byzantine Empire. They dedicated their lives to the evangelism of the Russian peoples, and they are known as the Apostles to the Slavs. Saint Cyril is...

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...

These twin brothers were physicians and martyrs in the early Church. They are called Unmercenaries, as they did not accept payment for their services. They were arrested and beheaded in the year 287, and are among the most highly-venerated martyrs...

Father Roman Braga was born in 1922 in a small village in central Moldova. His mother was a devout Orthodox Christian, and she raised him in a religious environment centered around the monastery of Condrita. During World War II, Roman attended seminary...

The holy Martyr Alexandra was the wife of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was a contemporary of Saint George, and she is commemorated with him on April 23.

Saint Marina the Great Martyr was from Antioch in Pisidia. She suffered under Diocletian in the 3rd century. She is commemorated on July 17. Margaret, Maggie, Megan, and Meghan are all forms of the same name.

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 (Elder) Paisios was an Athonite monk, spiritual father, founder of monasteries, and prolific writer of many works that have been translated and read throughout the world. He reposed in 1994. The saint was glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate...