Saints

St. Matthew the Evangelist, also called Levi, also appears both among the icons of the Apostles and beneath the dome. As one of the Twelve Apostles, he witnessed the works and miracles of Jesus, and is traditionally held to have described those in the...

This beautiful example of Western iconography is a manuscript illumination by Haregarius of Tours (France), dating from about the year 850. Christ is enthroned in the center, surrounded by the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and the...

This icon features the traditional Orthodox patron saints of animals and livestock: Archangel Michael Martyrs Florus and Laurus Saint Blaise of Sebaste Saint Modestus of Jerusalem Icon of the Theotokos "of the Sign" At the bottom is a scene depicting...

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...

Both Apostles, being chosen by our Lord, were instrumental in the establishment and growth of the early Church through their boldness, spiritual strength, and wisdom. Thus they are recognized as "pillars" of the Church, having offered all even unto...

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...

One of the first who Jesus called to be Apostles, St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter and a fisherman by trade. He and Peter were fishing in the sea of Galilee when Jesus called them to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17)...

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 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...

The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the Twelve Apostles and the brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus. He was a tax collector for Rome, but followed Jesus when he heard His call, and repaid everyone he had cheated...

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 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...

This late-15th century Russian icon features the holy hierarchs Saint James of Jerusalem, the Brother of the Lord; Saint Nicholas of Myra; and Saint Ignatius the God-bearer of Antioch. (This icon was previously misidentified as the Three Holy...

This icon is a beautiful contemporary Byzantine portrayal of the Old Testament Prophet Solomon. As the son of David, he also is included in the line of Christ as one of his fore-fathers. Renowned for his Wisdom literature (Song of Solomon and...

This historic Russian icon depicts the meeting of St. Thomas the Apostle and the Risen Christ a week after the Resurrection. According to the Gospel account, Thomas said that he would not believe in Christ’s resurrection until he touches his...

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...

Moses was a prophet, transcriber of Holy Law, and mediator between God and man. Through Moses, God made Himself known to the people of Israel. In his obedience to God and his communication of the Law to the people, Moses laid the foundation for our...

Saint Columba was a 6th century Irish missionary who evangelized in Scotland. One of the earliest missionaries to the Scottish tribes, he founded several monasteries and churches. Also a renowned writer, he composed hymns and transcribed hundreds of...

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 historic Greek icon depicts the beloved Apostle John the Theologian exiled on the island of Patmos. Receiving the vision of the Apocalypse and attended by an angel, he dictates his Revelation to his scribe, Saint Prochorus.  St. John is...

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 Tryphon (or Trypho) was from Lampsacus (modern Lapseki). He tended geese and was filled with the Holy Spirit, able to work powerful miracles of healing and exorcism. He became a bold preacher of Christ during the reign of Emperor Decius, about...

Saint Clement was converted to Christ through the Apostle Peter. He served as the third Bishop of Rome after the death of the Apostles, from about AD 91 to 99. His feast is celebrated on November 23 in the West, November 24 by the Greeks, and November...

Saint Katherine (also spelled Catherine) was a Great Martyr who suffered in the year 305 at the hands of Maximinus of Alexandria. She is commemorated in the Slavic churches on November 24, the date of her martyrdom. In the Byzantine churches, she is...

In this contemporary Russian icon we have the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, who were the ones chosen by Christ to live closest to Him during His ministry and to be the foremost evangelists of the nations. The Twelve all have their own feast days, but...

This historic icon of the Archangel Michael is depicted in vivid colors and stunning details. Following a traditional Balkan style, Holy Michael is depicted bearing a sword in his right hand and an orb in his left. The orb is marked with the Greek...

The Church has received the tradition of the conception of the Mother of God from the ancient Fathers of the Church. The Virgin Mary was born to her parents about 16 or 17 years before the birth of Christ. Her father Joachim was descended from the...

This 19th century Byzantine icon of the Apostle John the Theologian uniquely depicts him contemplating the stories of Christ in silence. Whether writing or reading his own Gospel account, his face reflects the depth of love that he shared with the Lord...

Saint Gregory was born in 329 in Cappadocia. After his studies, he suffered in a shipwreck and feared for his soul, as he was unbaptized. God spared him, and arriving in Athens, he joined his friend Basil the Great. They lived as monastic brothers in...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the Holy Patriarch Abraham. Called to leave his homeland in the Fertile Crescent for a new land and God, he became the father of the children of God. One of the Holy Forefathers of Christ, his faithfulness is...

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...

Saint Onuphrius lived in the fourth century. He was a hermit in the deserts of Egypt, living alone. He had a wild appearance, covered in hair and naked except for a small garment made of leaves. Saint Paphnuitus was mystically sent to bury Onuphrius,...

Saint Pelagia was an actress, dancer, and harlot who lived in Antioch of Palestine in the 4th or 5th century. One day, while Saint Nonnus the Bishop of Edessa was preaching, Pelagia passed by and Nonnus stared at her beauty, while the rest turned...

The equals-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, who legalized and defended Christianity in the Roman Empire, and his mother Helen, who discovered the precious Cross of the Lord, are celebrated together on May 21.

The feast of All Saints is commemorated on the Sunday After Pentecost by Eastern Christians and November 1 by Western Christians. This 18th century Russian icon features 80 representatives of all the ranks of Saints: Apostles, Prophets, Hierarchs,...

St. Jude is another Apostle whose role in Jesus’ ministry is not elaborated on in scripture.  When he is named among the Apostles, he is also called Thaddeus or Lebbaeus. It is not known how he was called to Jesus or exactly what he achieved...

Barbara, born in the third century in Syria, was so beautiful that her pagan father placed her in an isolated tower to keep her innocent of any influence except his own until she could be married. Like St. Christina, Barbara also came to realize...

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...

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...

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 God...